


The Hauntings of The Honeybee House

by Richie Rose (richtherose)



Category: Buzzfeed The Try Guys (Web Series), Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series), Buzzfeed: Worth It (Web Series)
Genre: (takes place around current time but with references to the past), 1930s, 1950s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, Dog death, F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Multi, Murder, Read with discretion, ghost au, haunted house au, homophobic violence, some of the character deaths are brutal, tour guide AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-05
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-03-13 23:43:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 34,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13581441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/richtherose/pseuds/Richie%20Rose
Summary: Shane Madej is one of the tour guides for this former house, turned musuem. What makes him special? He can see the past residents who still reside in the old house. From Steven Lim, who built the house in 1915, to Keith Habersberger, who fell to his death while exploring the house in 2002, there's a century's worth of spirits.It doesn't help that they push him to ask out the cute guy who is afraid of ghosts.





	1. Ghostly Encounters

**Author's Note:**

> You know when you randomly have a dumb idea, and you roll it off with your friend until suddenly its actually a thing thats pretty good? Yeah, thank you Alex for helping me break my own heart as I started plotting and writing this.

Shane Madej never believed in ghosts. It was illogical and hell, why would anyone want to stay in this dusty old house anyways? He would admit that it did have a certain charm about it, and it certainly was a beautiful house at one point. But hey, he needed a few bucks to buy food, and the history was fascinating, so why not give little ghost tours in a “real haunted house”?

Shane was already getting into the Halloween mood, ready to spook the first tour group that came in. He would joke and mess with the group a little, at least he did until something weird happened. He saw a girl about his age, wearing 80’s fashion, and thought she was from another group and asked if she was lost. She turned to look at him, a look of shock on her face. Someone from the group behind him asked who he was talking to, and he turned to them quizzically. 

“That girl standing right there,” he said as he turned back, with the girl nowhere in sight. 

The group got a little uneasy as he asked if anyone else had seen the girl, even described her. A girl in the back of the group called out. 

“I think you saw Sara.” 

 

As the tours ended for the day, and the guides got ready to go home, Shane stayed back, wanting to see something. As the last person left, Shane walked over to the bookcase. They had spread pictures of the past residents on books open on the shelves, and he wanted to see if what that girl had said… might be true.

He couldn’t believe it. Sara Rubin. It was the same girl he’d seen earlier. He wouldn’t have thought she was a ghost, she had seemed so real. 

A quiet voice came from behind him, making him jump. 

“You can see me.” 

He turned around slowly to see her. The ghost of Sara Rubin, standing right there as if she was a physical being. He blinked, taking her in. Now that he saw her up close, her hands and feet did seem a little translucent, and for a minute all he could do was stare. 

“You’re… You’re Sara. Who died in this house. You are dead… but you are here??” Shane said dumbly, making Sara laugh. 

“Yeah, that’s kinda what ghosts are. Don’t you give ghost tours?” 

“Yeah but… I’m just trying to get a paycheck, not literally speak to dead people!” 

Sara looked a little sad at that, “You’re one of the first ones to see us. Not just like, as a passing apparition.” 

Shane paused, thinking about what it must be like for her, for them, to see people come and go and not be able to talk to anyone. 

“Are… are all of you here? Like,” he gestured to the picture book behind him. 

Sara nodded, “Yes.”

Shane nodded slowly, absorbing the fact that there were at least 10 other spirits here with him. 

“Everyone is nice though, so you don’t have to worry.”

Shane slowly nodded. 

“This is weird. I don’t even believe ghosts really exist, but here I am just chatting it up with one,” he mumbled. “I have to go.” 

Sara looked a little disappointed. “Alright. I hope you come back…” 

Shane paused, but didn’t answer before he grabbed his jacket and keys and left the house, locking the door behind him. 

 

He got home, cooked himself dinner, showered, watched TV… but he couldn’t get it out of his head. He had not only seen, but had a  _ full conversation _ with a ghost. Part of him wanted to quit, tell them he wasn’t coming back, and just to find a new job. But then he remembered Sara’s face when she told him that he was one of the only ones to see her. 

Maybe he’d see the others. Maybe they are lonely. 

He had a dream that night, that he was trapped in that house, watching crowds of people go by, calling out, trying to be heard, seen, anything. But the most anyone would get is a whisper. 

When he woke up, he realized that he heard them. He realized the weight of that. He could see them, hear them, like no one else could. And what history could be gotten from that? What secrets could be lost to time, that only the dead knew, could he find out? No one would believe him, but still, the thought was intriguing. Plus, he wasn’t really scared. Sara said they were nice, and even if they weren’t, what could a ghost really do to him anyways? 

He went back to the house. 

 

He arrived early, nearly an hour before anyone else would get there. As he opened the door, he saw Sara sliding down the stair railing, but his eyes also fell to two other figures standing there, watching him quizzically. 

“Um, hello…” 

“Holy shit, he really can see us!” the tall man, who Shane recognised as Keith, the house explorer that had fallen from the bannister in 2002. 

“Welcome to the Honeybee House,” the other man said, bowing slightly to him. Shane knew that this was Andrew, the butler in the house when it was first built, who died being stabbed by a robber. 

“...Thanks… and yeah, I guess I can. You’re Keith and Andrew, right?”

Andrew simply nodded, while Keith whooped. 

“Good to know that my handsome face hasn’t been forgotten by time,” Keith said, nudging Andrew, who rolled his eyes. 

“Well, uh, I’m Shane, I’m giving tours here now… uhh… I don’t know, what else do I say to a ghost.”

Keith laughed, “Who knows, really. I’ve been dead for nine years and I still don’t know!” 

“I’m glad you came back, Shane! I thought you might not…” Sara said, stepping forward with a bounce. 

Shane looked away for a moment, “I thought about it for a hot minute… Then I figured, hey, the worst that can happen is people think I’m crazy.”

Sara giggled, “Well, do you want to meet everyone else in the house? That way you aren’t spooked by one of us again.”

Shane shrugged, “Sure, I came an hour early so I could… I’m not really sure honestly, but whatever, this seems good enough.” 

Sara grabbed his hand and pulled him along. Well, for about a foot before her hand lost its physicality and slipped away. It was cold, and almost like wind had grabbed him. He followed along anyways as she led him to the garden. He could see two boys, high school aged, holding hands on the bench. They looked up as Sara passed through the door, and Shane opened it. 

“Shane, this is Zach and Eugene, guys, this is the guy I was talking about!” Sara introduced. 

Eugene looked him over, a small smile on his face as he nodded. Zach, on the other hand, sprung up excitedly. 

“Really?! Like you can see me right now and hear me and everything??” Zach asked in a rush before Eugene stood up and put his arm around his shoulders, putting his hand around his mouth with a chuckle. 

“Cool it, Zach, ya don’t wanna go scaring him off,” Eugene said cooly. 

Shane couldn’t help but smile, “Yeah, you look real to me, otherwise I need to see a physiatrist.” 

“You seem neato to me, ‘specially if Sara approves of you.” Eugene said while Zach wiggled out of Eugene’s grasp. 

“Don’t blame me for going ape, this is swell! He can  _ see _ us!” Zach said excitedly, his glasses nearly falling off of his face. 

“Nerd,” Eugene said, rolling his eyes, although the tone was fond, and the soft smile wasn’t fooling anyone. 

“We gotta meet everyone else, so we’ll see you guys later!” Sara said as she began walking back towards the door, Shane following her with a wave to the boys. 

Once they were inside, he looked at Sara. 

“Those were the boys that were killed in ‘53 by that group of guys… I didn’t realize they were… so young? I mean, I knew that they were only seniors in high school but… still.” 

“Yeah… I think they are happier here, though. They don’t have to worry about that kind of threat being held over them simply for being together. They can just simply… exist together now.” Sara said wistfully as they climbed up the stairs to the second floor. 

“Anyways…. HELENNNNN!!!” Sara shouted as she went through the doorway. 

A girl looked up from the bed, flinching at Sara’s sudden loudness, as did two men, one who was sitting in a chair across the room, the other standing beside him. 

“Sara, please,” the girl, Helen, said, rubbing her ears. 

_ Do ghosts still feel pain? Or is that more of just a habit? _ , Shane wondered. 

“Helen, Steven, Adam, may I present to you the man who can see ghosts, Shane!”

“I’m not sure how I feel about that title…” Shane muttered. 

“Did you only just now find out that you could see ghosts?” Helen asked, sitting up, interested.

“Yeah, I was giving my first tour and saw Sara, and I thought she was just from another group, until my own group asked who I was talking to. It was weird. This is also weird, but I’m just going with it.” Shane replied honestly.

“Well, consider yourself a guest here, Shane,” Steven said, standing and nodding at him. 

“Thanks… I mean, I won’t be staying here, I’m just a tour guide, but, uh…” Shane pointed out. 

“Right,” Steven said, smiling at his own mistake. “But still, I imagine we’ll be seeing more of you?” 

“Yeah… I have classes, but I give tours Monday through Wednesday.” 

“BFU?” Helen asked.

Shane nodded in response, “Yeah, I’m taking classes in history and true crime.” 

“Fitting for the job,” Helen smirked. “That’s where me and Sara met, in our social studies class together.” 

“I bet it's changed a lot since we were there,” Sara noted. 

Shane nodded, “Yeah, I’ve seen pictures of the building from your time and it’s definitely been remodeled a couple times.” 

“Is the rooftop garden still there?” Helen asked. 

Shane thought about it for a moment. He didn’t recall ever even hearing of one. “I.. don’t think so..?” 

“That’s a shame, we all used to go up there and get high together. Brent-” Sara stopped herself midword. She looked over at Helen. “Do you think we should try to find him?” 

Helen sighed, her gaze turned to the floor. “You know he’ll just hide away again if you are there.” 

Sara looked serious, a small frown on her lips. “Yeah… Let’s go find the Fulmers. They might be in the nursery.” 

As they walked out of the room, Shane couldn’t help but ask, “do the two of you hold a grudge against Brent?”

Sara sighed sadly, “No, we understand that it wasn’t really him, it was whoever or whatever was still haunting that knife. We’ve tried to talk to him, but he always disappears, and I think he hides himself away in the attic most of the time. I understand the guilt but… we don’t hold it against him, and we miss having him around like it used to be.”

Shane nodded, noting what sounded like soft pacing from the attic. 

“Ariel? Ned?” Sara asked as she peered into the nursery. 

“Hi, Sara.” a woman’s voice said from inside, and Sara walked in. 

Shane followed her to see a young couple sitting on a built-in window seat. 

“Ned, Ariel, this is Shane. Shane, this is Ned and Ariel.” Sara said, although her voice wasn’t as perky as it had been. 

Shane felt as if his throat were closed, the room felt heavy. He could simply give a small nod. 

“I’m sorry, we aren’t always this… gloomy, but… sometimes…” Ariel said softly, her gaze on the empty cradle. 

Shane nodded in understanding. Perhaps of all the deaths, theirs was truly the most heartbreaking. Happy, planning for the future, excited for the baby on the way… literally burned away. 

“Yeah, we’ll be better the next time you see us,” Ned said with a small teary laugh. 

“It was nice to meet you, Shane,” Ariel said with a sad smile. 

“You too… sorry for intruding.” Shane said quietly as they backed out of the room. He heard a baby cry from the cradle, but even then, saw nothing as Ned broke out into tears and Ariel hugged him tighter. 

Shane gently shut the door, swallowing tightly. 

“The baby cries sometimes, but it's never there. It never existed in this world, but the cries are a reminder of what else died that night…” Sara said somberly as they walked slowly down the hallway. “Usually when fall comes around, since it happened in November.” 

Shane checked the time on his watch. He had about 15 minutes before anyone else came. He looked up towards the attic. 

“One more,” he said, Sara nodding. 

“Tell him that we don’t blame him, and that we wish he would talk to us again.” She said as she began walking down the hall again. 

Shane nodded as he went the other direction to the attic. 

 

The attic had to be entered through a trap door in the ceiling that pulled down. There was a ladder in the closet beside it to use to get inside. He also knew that he had to make sure the pole that held it open would be secure, if the door fell when you were inside, you’d have no way of getting yourself out until someone came and pushed it back open. Once up, he immediately saw the man staring at him from the corner. 

“What are you doing here?” the man asked. 

“I, uh… I’m Shane. I’m a new tour guide here, and apparently I can see ghosts.”

Brent’s face changed very little, although his eyebrows did go up a little in surprise. 

“And uh, listen, I know who you are, Brent, and I talked to Sara-” 

Brent’s face contorted into a grimace of pain as he looked away. 

“They don’t blame you, you know.” He stopped, looking for a reaction, but Brent didn’t move a muscle. “They miss talking with you.”

“But I killed them. How can they forgive me?” Brent said softly. 

“You said yourself in your last letter, you were possessed. At first, I thought that was ridiculous, but… I mean, I’ve spent the last hour introducing myself and talking to ghosts, so, it seems possible.” Shane said. 

For the first time, Brent smiled, a little half smirk. 

“You were like me, weren’t you? Thought all this was bullshit until it happened to you?” 

“Yeah, it’s hard to explain seeing and talking to full bodied apparitions that seem real as a trick of the light. Unless I’m going insane from classes.”

Brent chuckled, “BFU?” 

“Yeah, I think my history teacher has been there since you went.” Shane said, half joking, half serious.

“Warren?”

“Yeah!”

“Holy shit, that dude is still kicking? He was like 60 when I had him,” Brent said, shaking his head. 

Shane’s watch beeped and he looked down to see it was 11 AM, and people would start to come. 

“Well I have to go give tours of the house, but maybe think about coming out of hiding and talking to your friends. They seem to miss you.” 

Brent looked away, in thought as Shane climbed back down, closing the trap door gently behind him. 

Putting the ladder away, he thought about the last hour. As he walked back to the front door, he shrugged and supposed that this would just be his life now. 


	2. 1905-1938: A New Home

**1905-1938**

_(History told from letters from Steven, his father, Andrew, Adam, and various other sources)_

 

Steven Lim was the son of a wealthy merchant. Growing up, he had little want, except to play with his friends.

“Wouldn’t you rather play with some of your school friends? Andrew and Adam have chores to help with,” his father would tell them.

Sometimes, when his father wasn’t looking, he would help them fold laundry or sweep the floor so he could talk to them. Adam was quiet, but Steven always loved it when he could make him smile. He said it was like the sun had come out after a cloudy day. Meanwhile, Andrew was serious and collected himself with the properness that his mother taught him. But sometimes Steven would say something and Andrew couldn’t hold back his smile, and after a while, became accustomed to joking back. Only when no one else was around.

Steven never understood, until he was 14, why he wasn’t allowed to be friends with them. They were merely the children of maids; they were lower class, and Steven’s father wanted him to interact more with the children of other wealthy families. But even after that, even as he tried to be the good son who was on good terms with the other boys from his private school, he always found himself going back to those two.

“The boys in my class are rude, and they try to get me to do bad things sometimes. Father wants me to be friends with them, but I don’t think I’ll ever fit in,” he would confide to them in empty rooms.

 

When he reached 18 years, he took some money and the two housekeepers, and moved to a few towns over to be away from his father, with a dream to build a house of his own. And within two years, a grand estate was built. Nearly 20 rooms, a parlour, a garden, a grand staircase. It was certainly a dream home. Maids came and went, but the two he had brought, his friends since childhood, stayed. He paid them well, and treated them as guests often.

But there were rumors. Whispered through the maids who worked there, people in the town, everyone wondered if there was something else going on with the mansion owner and his butlers. There were rumors that at least one of them was a secret lover, but there was no way to confirm it.

Steven himself would laugh at the notion, saying the idea was ridiculous. But then he would get a strange look on his face, and admit that he does have a soft spot for them, and the other party would be left confused as he bid them farewell or changed the subject.

Parties were often thrown there, lavish food spread out. Sometimes Steven himself would sneak away, and some would gossip that they didn’t see one of his butlers. Wiser, and people closer to Steven, knew that while he loved throwing the parties, he would sometimes be overwhelmed and need to take a rest while Andrew tended to him.

It wasn’t until they were long gone that the truth of their relationships was revealed.

 

For 22 years, Steven lived the life of a young bachelor, although he didn’t seem interested in marriage, or women at all, in fact. But the elegant parties continued, so no one would complain (although it didn’t help the rumors). But one night, that life ended.

It was a calm evening, and Steven had left earlier that morning to visit his family. As Adam cleaned upstairs, Andrew was in the parlour, dusting off the mantle. Suddenly, he heard a window break, and ran out to the front hall to find a man coming through the window. Andrew ran at the man, and they wrestled for a moment before the man pulled out a knife and stabbed Andrew. As Andrew fell to the floor, the man began ransacking the parlour. Adam came down the stairs with a spare fire poker he’d retrieved from storage, and the man slashed his knife wildly to get Adam out of the doorway so he could escape back out the window he came in.

Adam didn’t give chase, instead, he knelt down next to Andrew to see the damage done. He apologized for not coming down sooner, and Andrew pointed out that there was a cut on Adam’s arm. Adam phoned the police and told them that someone had broken in, and now Andrew was stabbed. As they sent people over to help, Adam phoned Steven’s family phone, and told them that the house was robbed and Andrew was hurt. Steven told him he would leave right away, hanging up.

By the time doctors had arrived, Andrew’s breath was already ragged and faint, despite Adam’s attempts to clean and press the wound.

When Steven arrived two hours later, Andrew was dead.

 

Andrew’s death ruined Steven. After they buried him, there were no more parties, no more smiles, no more of that boyish light in his eyes. Adam was the only person who ever saw him anymore, and no matter what he did in attempt to make him feel better, Steven was wasting away. He would wake up late, eat a late breakfast, perhaps write, have tea, go to his room, eat dinner, retire early to bed, but not sleep until well into the night.

As it approached a year since Andrew’s death, Steven saw no will to live. He went to the pharmacy and purchased mercury-cyanide tablets.

On the anniversary of Andrew’s death, he wrote his last Will & Testament, leaving the property and everything on it to Adam. Then he swallowed the whole bottle of poison, dying in his bedroom within the hour.

Adam was left alone with the house, having lost his two best friends in the world.

 

It is said that Andrew and Steven still reside in the house, finally together in their eternal life. Some visitors have claimed to see two figures sitting together in the parlour, and feel a sense of calm. Others claim to feel a strong sense of longing, typically in the master bedroom.

Adam, who died in his sleep in 1972 at age 77, is also sometimes seen in various hallways or in the gardens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you are confused: I'll be breaking up chapters of the current story to explain the history of the past


	3. The Meeting

Almost 6 years later, Shane was still there, now working full time, and as the most popular guide there. People paid extra to reserve a spot on his tours, and some even reserved tours just for themselves for even more. It was definitely a good job, and Shane was rather attached. When he started, he certainly never expected to be paid hundreds of dollars to give tours or appear on shows to talk about his experiences with the house. 

At first, he was hesitant to show any sign of seeing them because as a former skeptic himself, he knew he’d be criticized. But eventually he had gathered enough information from the spirits that wasn’t publicly known, and able to be confirmed, that there was little to say he was lying or crazy. The incident that made believers jump out of their seats for him and skeptics unable to argue, was when Steven told him that he had once buried a small box under where the shed now was while the house was still being developed, as a little time capsule. It was filled with the notes that he taught Adam and Andrew when they were children, as well as drawings and three versions of paper boats that they had attempted. There would also be a few pressed flowers from his father’s garden, and when they dug in the spot, they found the same box with everything he said there would be. 

Shane tended to be in the house after tour hours as well, talking with the spirits. They had almost become like family to him. 

Steven and Andrew were polite and a little more reserved, but when they were together, it would be playful banter and loving gazes. Shane could certainly glean where the rumors had come from back in the day; they were obviously very much in love with each other. 

Adam would often be by himself, cleaning off an empty table or wiping down a broken window. If it was mentioned, he would blink in confusion before realizing. Shane figured that he’d been doing it for so long, part of his spirit still saw the need to tend to the house. He was quiet, but often left little gifts, such as a teacup or a book, on the dining room table. 

Zach and Eugene were rowdy when they weren’t sneaking off together for a moment along. They would play fight constantly, throw things around the room, chase each other down the halls. And the looks on their faces when they see another gay couple in the tour groups… Shane couldn’t describe it. He remembered the first time it happened, Zach had cried, and even Eugene came close, jealous but also happy that they could share their love to the world. 

Ned was also known to throw things, shout, be a general lovable nuisance. He and Keith would always be hanging out with Zach and Eugene, and they would get into antics, trying to mess with tour groups, or the other groups, or Shane. Sometimes, they would even pull Ariel into their shenanigans. And Ned’s dog, Bean, would appear and bark at them, wanting to join the fun. 

Brent had come out of hiding, and while he still kept to himself most of the time, he was on good terms with Sara and Helen again. He even would help them poke fun at Shane on occasion, especially if there was a cute girl in his group. Until Shane finally told them that he was gay, so they could stop trying to set him up with every girl that walked in. Of course, Sara just took that to mean to start trying to set him up with every cute guy that walked in. 

Shane was happy with this life, even if he would have never thought he’d live it. Even if years ago he would’ve called himself crazy. But it wasn’t so bad. 

 

“Hey, Shane,” a woman called as she closed the front door behind her. 

“Hey, Becky,” Shane responded, looking up from his phone. 

“Thanks for letting me come in, I hope the guy who reserved doesn’t mind that I’m here.”

Shane shook his head, “Nah, I already set you up in the attic so we won’t bother you. He’s already waiting up there for you.” 

A sad smile graced Becky’s lips as she fiddled with her bag. “I’ll go ahead since he’s probably on his way.” 

“Thanks, and I’ll text you all of his replies when I get the chance.” 

“Thank you,” she said softly as she walked up the stairs. 

 

Shane waited for another five minutes before there was a knock at the door, and he opened it. 

Standing there was a smaller man, although he was more built than Shane, who had a camera hanging from his neck and a small notepad in his hand. 

“You must be Ryan,” Shane said as he let the man in. 

“Yeah, you must be the famous Ghost Whisperer,” Ryan said, smiling at him briefly before his eyes scanned around, searching every detail of the staircase, walkway, the chandelier hanging above them. 

“Call me Shane, please,” Shane said as he closed the door behind him. 

Ryan looked back at him, looking him over before speaking again. “I didn’t realize that you’d be so tall… That’s probably weird. Ignore that. Nice to meet you, Shane.” 

Shane had to catch himself before he laughed, “Well, would you like me to lead you or would you rather pick the route?” 

Ryan thought for a moment. “The parlour. Wait, after this! This is where two of the deaths happened, right? The butler and the guy who was exploring?”

“Someone’s been doing their research,” Shane joked. 

Ryan smiled sheepishly, “I think the paranormal is awesome, so I read up on it a lot. This house is intriguing, so I had to come see it for myself… Plus, I had to see the Ghost Whisperer in person.” 

Shane made a dramatic grand gesture, bowing deeply to Ryan. “Well, here he is, in the flesh!”

Ryan moved his hand to his face as he started laughing. Shane couldn’t help but laugh as well as their eyes met. 

“Oooohhh, what do we have here???” a sudden female voice commented, making Shane jump. 

“Jesus, Sara, don’t sneak up like that,” Shane muttered to her while Ryan’s eyes widened. 

“Holy shit, is there a- a ghost?! Right there?” Ryan asked, looking around wildly in the direction Shane had spoken. 

Sara giggled as Shane replied, “Yeah, Sara. She lived here in the late ‘80s with her girlfriend, Helen, and their mutual friend, Brent.”

“Hey, Shaanee~ He’s pretty cute, huh? And he wanted a “private tour” wink wink,” Sara singsonged as she nudged him. 

“She also lives to haunt me,” Shane said, deadpan. 

“His name is Ryan, right? Hey Ryan, I think you are Shane’s type, you should ask him out!” Sara shouted, knowing Ryan couldn’t hear her, and cackling at the growing redness on Shane’s face. 

“Is she saying anything?” Ryan asked Shane, his eyes sparkling with intrigue. 

“Nope. Nothing important.” Shane said, a little too casually, trying to subtly hide the blush on his face. 

Ryan had a small grin on his face as Shane began telling the stories of Steven and Andrew, and of Keith. The smile faded into genuine interest as he began jotting down a few things in his notebook. 

“And since we are talking about Keith, I should go ahead and tell you that someone else is here. His fiance is up in the attic, talking to him.” Shane said, a small, somewhat sad smile on his face. 

Ryan’s pen stopped mid-word as he looked up at Shane. 

“She still visits him? Can she see him?”

Shane shook his head, “No, she will bring a bag with things to talk to him about, and usually I’ll be there to be Keith’s voice, but if I’m doing a tour or something, I’ll talk to Keith afterward and text Becky what he said. And to answer the first question, yes. She came to a tour a couple months after it opened, and had Keith not pointed her out, I wouldn’t have even known who she was. But I pulled her aside after the tour and asked, told her Keith was still here, and she started coming every week.”

“Wow…” Ryan shook his head slowly, pondering the information. “And even all these years later, she hasn’t moved on?” 

“She’s trying…” Shane explained softly. “Becky is a friend of mine now, and she’s told me about the guys she’s tried to date, but she says that she hasn’t found anyone who matched her quite like Keith did. And… it happened so suddenly. One day he was there… then he was gone.” 

“Yeah… I would imagine that kind of loss would be hard to get over…” 

They stood there for a moment in silence, before Shane cleared his throat and gestured to the parlour. Ryan nodded, walking towards it. 

“Thank you for sitting quietly,” Shane said to Sara, who was laying upside down on the bench.

She saluted him before closing her eyes and getting comfy again. “I’ll let it go this time… But if you don’t have his phone number before the end of the tour, I’m intervening.” 

Shane rolled his eyes as he followed Ryan into the other room. 

“Someone is in here, isn’t there? It feels… heavy. I don’t know how to describe it…” Ryan said, looking around in hopes of seeing something. 

Shane looked over at the window, where Steven was standing, lost in thought. “Steven.” 

Steven didn’t answer to his name, didn’t seem to hear him. 

“Something I’ve noticed is that every once in a while…” Shane began explaining, “Well, first let me explain how they are in general. Usually, the spirits roam freely and totally conscious of their surroundings. I don’t know if the ghost tropes of them being forever stuck in time are wrong, or if it’s just something about this house, but they are aware of everything, timewise. But on occasion, and especially around the time of their deaths, they’ll seem to be stuck back in their own time again. Steven will get depressed in March, when Andrew died and he committed suicide, and Adam will sometimes be cleaning things that aren’t there anymore... It’s especially sad in October-November, because a baby will cry upstairs, and the Fulmers stay in the nursery, mourning their lost child. And sometimes, like now, they don’t respond to anything. Steven is standing by the window, thinking about things as if he were still alive, totally unaware that we’re here right now. These feelings are gathering, almost physically it seems, and you can feel what he’s feeling.” 

Ryan’s mouth was agape as he scribbled furiously in his notebook. Shane watched him for a moment before Ryan looked back up at him. 

“Oh, sorry,” Shane said as he averted his gaze away from the notebook. 

“No, it’s fine. I’m just taking note of things that inspire me.” Ryan said as he clicked the pen. 

“Yeah, you said you were here for a project?” Shane questioned. 

“Oh yeah! I’m producing a short film! I’m not entirely sure what it is yet, but I do know I want it to involve ghosts, so I came here for inspiration,” Ryan explained. 

“You produce films?” Shane asked, impressed. 

“Well,” Ryan said sheepishly, “I majored in Film Production, so now I’m just writing and producing my own films. Occasionally I’ll have friends to help, but my last few have been mainly me working by myself. Meaning I’m doing the writing, the directing, the acting, the editing, everything!” 

“Wow… Pretty impressive if you ask me. I remember the half a semester I thought I wanted to learn how to act before realizing I would be better off with a History degree. Although, they were fun classes.” Shane reminisced. 

Ryan’s eyes lit up. “You know how to act?” 

Shane blinked at the sudden question, “Well, uh… Maybe? I guess?”

“Would you want to be in my film? I’ll pay you for it! I thought that maybe I’d ask if I could film here anyways, and I’d kinda been hoping I could get you in for at least a cameo, but-” Ryan excitedly ranted before stopping himself. “Sorry, I got excited…” 

Shane was a little shaken, but still… it was cute. “I mean… Yeah, I guess. Sure.”

“Awesome! Could I get your number so I can text you details and stuff?” 

Shane put his phone number in Ryan’s phone, and he didn’t miss that the contact name was “Ghost Whisperer” with the little ghost emoji. 

“Sweet, thanks!” 

Shane nodded at him, before they both simultaneously remembered that they were doing a tour. 

“Uh, so to the next room, I guess?” 

“Lead the way, Ghost Whisperer!”

 

Shane ended up bringing Ryan out to the garden. Zach and Eugene were leaning against the fence, their fingers intertwined as the two men walked out. 

“Oooohhh, who’s this dreamboat, daddy-o?” Zach asked with an over-the-top wink, which made Eugene burst out laughing. 

“Shut up, you nerd,” Eugene said through his laughs. 

Shane rolled his eyes with a smile. “This is Ryan. Ryan, here is where Zach and Eugene can usually be found, including presently.” 

“Hello,” Ryan greeted in the direction that Shane had gestured. 

“And because I feel like you already have some prior knowledge about who they are, and I don’t like to talk about their deaths while they are here, I’ll tell you a little about who they were in life.” Shane said, earning small smiles from the two ghostly boys. 

Ryan nodded as Shane started, “Well, in the good year of 1951, Zach Kornfeld and Eugene Lee Yang, seemingly from different worlds, met. Have you ever seen Grease?” 

Ryan snickered, nodding. 

“Well imagine that Sandy was a band geek, and they hadn’t met prior, I guess, and you have something along the lines of Zach and Eugene. Except that of course, they were both boys… So they were fast friends, but it took a while to confess to each other, or even to themselves, how they felt. Then, they dated in secret, meeting just as friends in public, or boyfriends in private. They didn’t let their fear get in the way of their love… and I think that they were braver than anyone gives them credit for, and that they deserve to be together for eternity, even if it’s in an old house.” 

Ryan nodded pensively. “I can’t imagine what it would be like, to not be able to love freely… I mean, hate crimes still exist, but at least we don’t have to hide…” 

Shane tried to ignore his heart leaping at the implication of the word “we”, just nodding along. 

Zach and Eugene seem to have caught it as well, matching mischievous looks on their faces as they plotted how they would try to get them together. Shane made a note that Sara was a horrible influence on them. Well, another note. 

“Well, there’s not much time left in the tour, we’d better get going,” Shane said quickly, leading Ryan away before the boys could get into any tormenting antics. 

“Bye, guys!” Ryan said towards the fence as he was nearly pushed back inside the house. 

 

The rest of the tour went smoothly, and since he had gotten not only a number, but a promise to see each other again, Sara stayed quiet until Shane was waving Ryan goodbye. As soon as the door shut, all bets were off. 

“Soooooooo? You think he’s cute right? You got his phone number and, oh my god, agreed to star in his film! I can see it now, a romantic tragedy in a haunted house, of two young men who fall in love in the house, but are separated through death. Oh man, if your character can see ghosts like you can, it would be even more tragic if he was the one that died. Like, if Ryan’s character died, then at least you could still see him and talk to him and stuff, but if you died, he wouldn’t be able to see you. Ah, a tragedy…” 

“Sara, I love you, but please shut up,” Shane said, trying to ignore the steam from his ears. 

“Aww, look, you’re all embarrassed. Oh my god, this is going to be fun!” Sara exclaimed happily. 

“Please don’t embarrass me in front of Ryan,” Shane requested, his face in his hands. 

“Oh my god…” Sara said as she looked over Shane’s posture. “Okay fine, not in front of him. But this is too great. I think I may be onto something here, Shane.”

Shane couldn’t really disagree. 


	4. 1953: Grease-y Ends

**1953**

_ (History told from Adam and the police investigations) _

Of all the deaths that occurred in this house, this one is the most brutal. Two young men were violently beaten and murdered after being caught meeting in secret behind the house while the caretaker was out. 

Zach Kornfeld and Eugene Lee Yang had known each other since their sophomore year of high school. Fast friends and soon secret lovers, they often met away from the gazes of others. They were seniors in high school, young and in love, and dreaming of running away together after they graduated. That dream would soon die with them one fateful evening in the spring. 

They knew that the owner of the house would be out for the evening, and that no one else would go near it. Zach was a little afraid of the ghosts, but Eugene pointed out that they wouldn’t be going inside the house. So they decided to meet in the backyard, behind the fence. However, someone saw them go in. 

A group of four boys, who were troublemakers in the neighborhood, caught them as they kissed against the fence posts. Eugene went to protect Zach, and was beat down. It is thought that Zach was held there and made to watch his boyfriend be tortured, as Eugene’s body was covered in various slashes, carvings, stab wounds, and cigarette burns. Zach was found by the caretaker, Adam, alive but weak. Adam called the police to find the boys and get an ambulance, but Zach was dead before they arrived. 

One can only imagine how Adam felt, especially because here was another boy he couldn’t save in time. He was seen less in town afterward, although honey was still made often. 

 

You may catch glimpses of them in the garden where they met, although, despite never having entered the house itself, they may be seen wandering it. Perhaps their spirits are still young and restless, wanting to see the haunted house for themselves, even though they now haunt it as well. It’s been found that if you play Frank Sinatra, especially “These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)”, they will be more active. Most likely, it was a song they listened to when they were alive together. 


	5. The Journal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BRUH NED AND ARIEL ARE HAVING A BABY IM A PROPHET. no wait no i don't wanna be a prophet on this fic... anyways i cried when i watched the announcement video and that's the tea,,, anyways... 
> 
> strap in y'all

 

“Can someone please tell me why I agreed to this?” Shane questioned to the open air, knowing that at least three ghosts were listening.

“Cause he’s cute,” Sara said happily as she jumped out from behind the door frame.

“Cause you like him,” Zach added, also coming out of hiding.

“Cute boys make you do dumb things. Believe me, I know…” Eugene remarked, smirking at Zach.

“I hate all of you,” Shane said, his face in his hands as leaned his head against the wall.

“Hmmmmmm…. I don’t think that’s true. I mean, you’ve been here for what, six years now?” Sara said as she leaned in close to him with a wide grin.

“Ever heard of a job?” Shane quipped back, putting his hands down to side-eye her.

“Hey, you could’ve left at any time,” Zach said cheekily.

“You know, you still haven’t told us what the plot is… What has he told you?” Sara asked.

“Well… it uh… he wants to do a dramatic recreation of Steven and Andrew’s romance…”

“Are you actually kidding me?!” Sara shouted in his ear.

A snicker alerted Shane alerted the presence of someone else.

“Good luck with that, there’s a lot of tension there,” Andrew laughed. “I’m guessing you’ll be playing me? A lot of quiet pining and self denial.”

“Yeah… This is gonna be hard…” Shane muttered.

Zach and Eugene looked at each other before snorting.

“ _Don’t_. I know what you are thinking, stop it, you know what I meant.” Shane interrupted.

“Oh, yeah, we know what you mean,” Zach said with a wink and a finger guns, causing Eugene to keel over laughing.

“I’m gonna kill you again,” Shane said, glaring up at them.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Zach said, waving him off.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep them at bay while you guys are filming,” Sara cut in with a smile.

“Oh, and who’s gonna do that for you, huh?” Zach quipped back.

“Helen, probably,” Sara said with no hesitation.

While Zach and Sara started teasing each other, Shane checked his phone to see that there was a new message from Ryan.

“Hey, I’m on my way with TJ and Safiya. Hope you’ve gone over the script ;)”

Shane couldn’t help but think that this simple message took Ryan five minutes to send, with the inclusion of the winky face. It was certainly endearing…

“I’m here when you are ready, and I have. I’m getting pointers from Andrew himself right now ;)” Shane sent back.

“Winky faces? Ooo, It’s already getting spicy,” Sara said from right behind Shane’s head, making him jump.

“Jesus, Sara, don’t look over my shoulder like that!” Shane shouted, clutching his chest dramatically. “You’ll give me a heart attack, and then _I’LL_ end up stuck here!”

Sara giggled before she spoke again, “So he’s on his way… guess me and the boys better get out of here. I’ll send Steven down so he can give you pointers too!”

Andrew smiled as he sat down next to Shane. “So how dramatic are we talking here?”

“Well, he said he wants it to be like… artistic? So it’s less talking and more just like, being in the moment. Just those subtle things on the daily basis, really. Leading up to your deaths and then like a hint that you are together as spirits.” Shane explained.

“Ah… yeah, that sounds about right…” Andrew said as he watched Steven come down the stairs.

“So you are making a film about us?” Steven asked as he rounded the staircase and stood beside them.

“Yep, I’m playing Andrew, Ryan is you. Super artistic, lots of subtle shots.” Shane shrugged. “By the way, Ryan was a little worried about making this since he knew you’d be here, watching.”

“Personally, I’m thrilled! It’s… nice,” Steven said softly. “When you had to hide yourself and your feelings for so long… It’s like when Sara found my journal. People can finally know who I really was, and lay rest to all of the rumors once and for all.”

“Good… I won’t lie, I’ve known you guys for six years and I was still a little nervous about it.” Shane admitted. “I’ll let Ryan know.”

“Is there anything you want to know about it?” Steven asked.

“Yeah, let me think…”

They sat there, asking and answering questions about the little things until Ryan came and filming started.

 

Shane wouldn’t lie, he couldn’t say he didn’t like the suit that Safiya brought him. Handsewn and tailored just for him, it fit perfectly. And it did look just like what Andrew wore.

“We could be twins, look at that!” Andrew said happily as Shane smoothed down his hair.

“Yeah, Safiya did pretty well with the costumes. I’m pretty impressed, like, just look at the detail on this!” Shane opened his arms so Andrew could see it fully. “She did it herself, it’s crazy.”

“Man, if your costume looks this good, I wonder how Ryan is gonna look dressed like Steven,” Andrew said, his smirk a tad bit mischievous.

“You’ve been hanging around Sara too much,” Shane said, rolling his eyes.

A knock on the door interrupted him. “Shane, need any help?”

Shane nodded in Andrew’s direction before he went over to the door. “No, I just got it all ready.” He opened the door to see Safiya’s reaction.

She looked him over, her hand resting in a thinking pose on her lip. “Yeah, I think it looks pretty good! Ryan is ready with makeup and everything, so it’s your turn.”

Shane nodded, letting her lead him out of the room to the nursery, which was designated as the makeup and storage room since it wouldn’t be used for filming.

“This won’t take too long, just have to make sure the camera won’t wash you out,” Safiya said as she got out various makeup items Shane had no idea what the names of were.

As she began putting on a foundation, Ryan appeared in the doorway.

“Hey Shane, looking good!”

Shane looked him up and down as Safiya put the brush down. Ryan’s hair was smoothed back, and the suit fit him… really well. It was a similar style to his own, but a solid black instead of Shane’s brown.

“Wow, yeah, same to you…” Shane said, his throat a little dry all of a sudden.

Ryan smiled at him, “Thanks! I just wanted to check in. I’m gonna go talk to Teej about some of the shots, so just come downstairs when you’re ready.”

Shane nodded as Ryan left, turning back to Safiya, who was looking at him with raised eyebrows.

“Don’t think I didn’t see that,” Safiya said with a grin.

“Well, there’s nothing wrong about thinking he looks…. Really good. In a suit…” Shane replied, feeling his cheeks burn.

“Nope, nothing wrong at all,” she laughed as she got back to work. She didn’t say anything else.

“Alright, that should do it,” she said, putting her brush on the table and inspecting his face.

“Thanks, I appreciate it,” Shane said honestly as he glanced at himself in the mirror.

He didn’t look different, really, but still did in a way. The dark circles that were usually around his eyes had vanished under her doings, and he looked old fashioned yet sophisticated in his suit. There’s not a lot of times Shane felt hot in his life, but he did feel kind of hot in this moment.

He headed downstairs as Safiya put her makeup away, rolling his eyes at the wolf whistles and catcalls from Sara and the boys at the end of the hall. He passed Steven and Andrew, who nodded in approval. All of the spirits had agreed to stay away from filming, although they could watch.

Ryan glanced up at him as he was talking to TJ and looked him over momentarily, stuttering over his words, before looking away. Shane couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride.

“So, what’s first?” he asked as he walked up to them.

“Well, I think it’ll be easiest to just film at least in the general order, so we’ll be starting with the opening shots in the bedroom,” TJ explained. “Ryan has all of the props over in that box, so he can help you find the tea set while I set up the tripod.”

Shane nodded and walked with Ryan over to the prop box, which was more of a prop chest.

“Hey, funny seeing you here!” Shane joked as he bumped lightly against Ryan.

Ryan giggled, looking up at him. “Yeah, crazy, right?”

Shane opened up the chest, pretending to be Indiana Jones opening treasure, complete with over-the-top astonishment at it’s contents, making Ryan crack up to the point of wheezing.

“A fork! What an amazing find!” Shane said dramatically as he picked said object up.

“Yeah, we have everything we’ll need here, I even found an old-fashioned dip pen and inkwell,” Ryan explained with pride.

“Nice,” Shane said as he seriously examined the props. “I’m guessing this is my tea set?”

Ryan nodded as he grabbed a leatherbound journal. Shane noted that it did look pretty similar to Steven’s actual journal on display. Ryan held it up to said cased journal.

“Very impressive find,” Shane said with a grin.

Ryan looked very pleased with himself as he went back and grabbed the pen and inkwell.

“Are you ready to start filming?” Ryan asked.

“Are _you_?” Shane said with a raised eyebrow and momentary smirk.

Ryan giggled as he nodded, heading up the stairs. Shane followed, his heart feeling light.

 

The first couple hours of filming were just retaking the same few shots of Ryan scribbling in the journal, gazing dramatically out the window, Shane knocking on the door and Ryan answering, zooms on the journal. Shane hadn’t realized how much work exactly went into making a film, but if this was how it all would be, Shane knew he was in trouble.

Especially the next scene.

 

Ryan reading in the parlour, bringing him tea, a little eye contact, walk away. So far so good, Shane thought. Trouble is, Shane wished he didn’t have to think about it. To be fair, he guessed this is what Andrew felt for years.

“Hey, Shane, are you alright?” Ryan’s voice broke him from his thoughts as he was taking a sip of water. He almost choked, but caught himself.

“Oh, yeah, yeah, I’m good, fine, yeah,” Shane said, too casually.

Ryan looked a little nervous as he spoke, “If you don’t want to do this next scene, it’s okay, we can do something else or film it later or something, I know it’s a little weird…”

Shane blinked, “Well… I mean, it’s not that bad, it’s fine.”

Ryan looked relieved, “Okay, cool. Then we’ll start shooting it in five.”

Shane nodded as Ryan walked away, shaking his hands to get rid of the nerves.

This was definitely the most intense moment of the film, other than the deaths, establishing exactly what was going on, what they wanted but couldn’t have. Shane was already feeling his palms sweat, and he rubbed them on his pants, taking a deep breath. He could do this.

 

“Okay, so how are we doing this?” Shane murmured to Ryan, who was standing less than a foot away from him by the window. He could feel Ryan’s breath as he answered.

“Well, just, uh, put your hand on my waist… the other in my hand… Then slowly bring the hand on my waist to my face and lean in slowly, eye contact the whole time.” Ryan explained, guiding Shane’s hands and pretending like neither of their faces were bright red.

Shane nodded, looking into Ryan’s eyes momentarily, to find his breath hitching in his throat.

“But first we’ll start from like, our foreheads pressed together, then to that, then to… ya know. That make sense?” Ryan asked.

Shane nodded, really unable to say anything because his useless gay ass was shaken to his core due to the proximity and intensity.

“And… Action!” TJ said.

They pressed their foreheads together, eyes closed, hands intertwined, holding each other tightly. Shane opened his eyes to look at Ryan’s face. Ryan’s eyes were still closed, his lips parted slightly, and Shane couldn’t help but stare, wondering. Ryan opened his eyes slowly and met his gaze, and Shane could only stare in awe as Ryan smiled softly at him.

He took his hand off of Ryan’s waist and brought it to his jawline, caressing his cheek. He leaned in, closing his eyes, feeling the energy in waves.

“Cut!”

Shane jolted upright, and Ryan’s hands fell away from his. He had to blink for a moment and remember where he was, what he was doing.

“Holy shit guys, that was amazing! The energy was insane, I think we have the perfect one-take shot!” TJ exclaimed excitedly as Shane remembered that they were filming. “Alright, then just the shot of Shane walking and the bathroom scene, and I think we can call it a day.”

 

Shane didn’t remember much of the next hour of filming him walking slowly into the parlour, where he was supposed to be seeing the images of what they’d just filmed, while Ryan sat still on the couch, then shaking his head and going to the bathroom to splash his face, which was the only form of wake up call he got, then walking back into the hallway to go to the kitchen. He just moved like a zombie, his head still stuck to what had just happened.

“That was great, Shane, you are an even better actor than I could’ve hoped for!” Ryan praised him as TJ was packing away his camera. “This is gonna be a fun week. Tomorrow, I’m bringing a bunch of people for the party scene.”

“Yeah, cool,” Shane said dumbly with a nod.

Ryan bit back a laugh and instead, smiled softly. “Thanks for agreeing to do this. I really appreciate it.”

“Yeah, yeah! Of course, it’s no problem!”

Ryan smiled, his eyes holding Shane’s gaze for a moment before he said a soft “see ya tomorrow” and walked out after TJ, meeting Safiya in their van. Shane waved after them as they drove off before closing the door and sliding the floor with his back against it.

“Jesus Christ. Are you- are you kidding me?!” He yelled out into the empty parlour, which was soon very not empty.

“OH MY GOOD GOD, YOU GAY-” Sara cut herself off with peals of laughter.

“Yeah, honestly did you even need Sara to promise not to embarrass you? Cause I don’t know what just happened there but uhhh…” Zach said in a sassy manner.

“God, you have got it BAD,” Eugene shook his head while flicking his tongue over his lip with a grin. “And that was only the first day.”

Shane covered his face with his hands. “I forgot. I fucking _forgot_ that we were filming. I’m touch starved, it’s been so long since I’ve dated or slept with anyone so this just… yeah. That’s all that was…” he said, mainly to himself.

Andrew shook his head from the other corner, “On the bright side, that was an outstanding performance.”

“Yeah, method acting, always a good way to go.” Keith said brightly, giving Shane a thumbs up.

Shane shook his head, rubbing his face. “Jesus, I need a drink. Maybe I’ll take someone home, just to get rid of some of this.. Fuck off,” he said at the looks of everyone around him.

Sara sighed and shook her head.

“Hey man, I don’t know if that’s the best idea, I mean… I got the vibe that he was feeling you too,” Keith said, earning nods of agreement from everyone else.

Shane thought about it for a moment.

“I’m going to the bar, whatever happens, happens.” he said as he picked himself back up and grabbed his bag.

No one said anything as he left, just giving each other looks.


	6. The Journal of Steven Lim

**_Journal of Steven Lim_ **

 

Nov. 12, 1910

Hello, journal. I am not entirely sure what I am supposed to write here, but I thought it might be nice to have a place to write my thoughts out, the ones that I cannot tell anyone. Do you introduce yourself to your journal? I might as well, I supposed. I am Steven Lim, I am 15 years old this day. My best friends are servants in the house, I have known them since we were children. Father doesn’t approve very much of my friendship with them, but I have found that I cannot stay away. They truly are dear to me. I suppose I shall introduce them as well. Andrew and Adam, they were the children of my father’s housekeepers that lived in the house, and we used to play together. Then I was put in school and they were made to do chores, and it became harder to see them, but I will not let that stop me. I have to go, Mother is calling for me. I will write again soon. S. Lim

 

Apr. 23, 1912

Hello again, journal. Reading back on my first entry, I said that I would write again soon. I did not. I got very busy and had no time, and eventually forgot all about it. A shame, but what can I do, honestly. Perhaps I won’t write in this every day like I once naively thought, but just whenever I need to get thoughts out of my mind. Plus, I do not want my Father to see this journal, so I keep it hidden. Since my last entry, I have aged a year and a half, and kept busy with my studies. Sometimes I sneak out to the garden in the middle of the night to meet up with Adam and Andrew, and they listen as I talk about school and I will teach them some of what I have learned. It’s peaceful, and Andrew looks beautiful in the moonlight. I suppose it is odd for me to think of another boy as being beautiful, but it is the truth. His face is calm and he is relaxed as he writes, and when I praise him, he smiles and it is so wonderful. It truly is odd, as Father says that I will start looking at girls and noticing how beautiful they are, but instead I’m looking at Andrew… No girl I’ve seen has even come close. S. Lim

 

Jul.18, 1912

These thoughts I am having need to be stopped. Something is wrong with me. I thought it would stop on its own, but it has only worsened. Why does my stomach feel tight when I am with him? Why do my hands sweat and my face redden? It’s not supposed to be like this. I’m supposed to feel this way toward a girl. My father is beginning to be suspicious, and I fear that he will get rid of Andrew. The thought of losing him makes me feel sick, as he’s the happiest thing in my life, other than Adam, of course. I will not let that happen, he is too dear to me. S. Lim

 

Jan. 27, 1913

I have decided it. I will build a house of my own, with the money that Father lends me. I have already spoken with him about it, and he approves. He was hesitant to let me take Andrew and Adam, but ultimately approved of that as well. We leave on Sunday, a few towns over, where we have already purchased land. I think that I may not write for a while, as we will be rather busy. It is time for my life to begin. Wish me luck. S. Lim

 

Feb. 25, 1915

It is done. After two years, we finally finished the last of the house. We’ve even gotten a small beehouse out in the garden, to make our own honey. Perhaps we may start selling it as well! But we have found that Adam is fond of taking care of the bees, and I am happy for that. I did worry that they may not want to stay here, but they both seem happy enough. I am glad for that. They will be happy here, as will I. S. Lim

 

Jul. 14, 1915

A funny thing has happened since I last wrote. People around town have been talking about me, they think I may be queer. I do not think I can say otherwise. I love Andrew dearly, and I have never had any interest in women. I briefly courted a friend, a woman in town named Ying that attends my parties, to make Father happy. She is still a dear friend, but the idea of marriage, like my Father suggested, just does not sit right with me. In my wildest dreams, I see a life spent with Drew, not as a master and his servant, but lovers... Although I know that this secret must never leave these pages. I do not know what anyone would think, and I know that Father would be most unhappy. I fear that the repercussions of a romantic relation would fall upon Drew, and so I must never tell him. Even if I suspect he may feel the same, it could never work happily for us. I am happy enough to simply be with him. S. Lim

 

Dec. 25, 1915

Today was our first Christmas in the house, hopefully the first of many happy Christmases. I threw a grand party, and everyone was festive and merry. The feast was one that I will remember for years to come, and I still almost feel full from it. After the guests went home, we retired to bed to await the coming morning. Andrew received a kitten from me, as I love to see him with the stray cats that will come visit on occasion. He was so happy, and named her Bella. Adam liked his new boots and gloves, his former ones were wearing out, and I knew he would not buy new ones until he absolutely had to. As for me, I received a new dip pen and new ink to write with. I am glad, for my old pen was seeing its last days. Merry Christmas. S. Lim

 

June 22, 1916

Adam has certainly taken a liking to his bees, and I have helped him start a small business, and our honey is quite popular in town. Even Father is impressed, and we send him some every month. People in town have started referring to the estate as the Honeybee House, and I think it is a charming name. Andrew made a sign for the front porch with the title, we will be hanging it up as soon as the paint dries. S. Lim

 

Dec. 31, 1916

It is New Year’s, and I have thrown another party, yet I myself had to depart early. I am not sure why I feel compelled to leave the crowd sometimes, even if I am enjoying myself. I simply become overwhelmed and have to retire to my room. Andrew comes in and sits with me, like this time. He has gone downstairs to make tea, and I can hear the clamour from the party downstairs. This feels a little like when I was young and couldn’t seem to fit in with my peers, that same feeling of helplessness and wanting to be among them. Ah well, I hear Drew coming back up the stairs. Happy New Year. S. Lim

 

Mar. 22, 1937

It has been years since I have last dug up this journal to write, but I’ve had little need of it. But… something happened tonight. The unthinkable. I was too late to do anything. Andrew is gone.

I had gone to visit my family, less than an hour’s travel. Suddenly, shortly after dinner, Mother went to answer the phone and said it was for me, and I put it up my ear to hear Adam’s panicked voice. Someone had broken in, and Andrew was hurt badly. I left immediately. My worst fears were confirmed upon arrival. I don’t know what to think. I can hardly find words, and… I must rest.

 

Apr. 12, 1937

The house is empty without him. Adam tries to fill the silence, to make me happy again, but… I can only feel the weight of sorrow. Sometimes, I feel like he never left. But even the thought is bittersweet. I miss him. It just isn’t fair.

 

May 23, 1937

It’s his birthday. He would have been 43 years old today. Adam would have helped me bake a cake for him, and we would have a fancy dinner from the best chefs in town. I haven’t called a chef in months. There’s been no more parties. I don’t think I’ve smiled since then. I just feel… empty.

 

June 1937

Father has begun to worry, Adam says. I can’t be bothered to answer the letters.

 

Jul 1937

Is there any reason for me to be here anymore? Is he still here with me? Sometimes I feel as though he is here with me, but then it is gone, and I’m left alone with the chill. I feel I may be losing my mind sometimes.

 

Aug. 1937

Why wasn’t I there? Why was I too late to even say goodbye?

 

Dec. 1937

Not even Christmas could pull me from this deep depression. He isn’t here to spend it with.

 

Mar. 1938

It’s approaching a year since Drew passed. There’s nothing for me here. I shall join him in the afterlife. I’ve already written my will, leaving the estate to Adam. The poison is waiting. I shall take it on the night of the 22nd.

 

March 22, 1938

Thank you for the years and for keeping my secrets. Maybe one day, someone will find this and know them, but I will be gone with my love. Perhaps heaven will be kind enough to let us be together. Goodbye. S. Lim


	7. Hickeys and Party Scenes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW I WROTE AN ENTIRE CHAPTER IN ONE SITTING AFTER PLOTTING THE REST OF THE FIC THIS IS NEW
> 
> ~~also in the planning process, there's going to be 11 more chapters, not including history bits~~
> 
> EDIT: i forgot to put the link lmao but i also drew steven from this fic https://banjofeed.tumblr.com/post/171172064084/steven-lim-from-my-buzzfeed-fic-the-hauntings-of
> 
> **if you make any fanart or oneshots or anything based on this please please please tag me @banjofeed on tumblr because god i wanna see, and i'll link them in here too!!**

 

When Shane walked through the door the next morning, he looked like hell. His hair was still messy and he was holding his head. 

“Shane…” Sara said quietly as he plopped himself down onto the bench. 

“Oh jeez…” Zach said, looking at the dark mark on Shane’s neck. 

Eugene just sighed as Shane shook his head at them softly. 

“Well, how do ya feel, buddy?” Keith said as he walked up and took a seat next to Shane. 

“Like hell,” Shane said bluntly, running his hand through his hair. “I think his name was Dan? I don’t know, all I remember is that he reminded me of Ryan and then I kept thinking about him and yesterday and….” he sighed. 

“Well…. We did tell you it wasn’t the best idea…” Zach said quietly, fidgeting with his hands. 

“I know, I know, it was stupid, whatever.” Shane said, slumping against the wall. “But I mean, hell, I don’t know this guy. Ryan may not even be gay, or like guys, or whatever. I don’t know what’s even happening to me right now, I’ve never been this in my head over a guy, especially one I just met!” 

“Well, you guys hit it off really well. That’s what happened with me and Zach, plus, you were filming an intense scene.” Eugene offered. 

Shane simply shook his head, just feeling like an idiot. Sara rubbed his shoulder to comfort him. They stayed silent for a moment before Shane looked at his phone. 

“They’re on their way,” he said as he got up, heading to the bathroom to fix his hair to be at least decent. 

He looked at the hickey in the mirror, frowning. Drunk Shane hadn’t been thinking about the fact that not only would he see Ryan again tomorrow, but they’d also be filming. He hardly ever did this sort of thing, but he’d been drinking more than he knew he should’ve, and he woke up at someone else’s house. He was even wearing the same thing as yesterday, so even as he made sure the mark was covered by the collar of his flannel, it was still suspicious. He shook his head before splashing water on his face. 

He fixed himself up the best he could before the van pulled up. He walked out to the porch. There were more people piling out of the van today. 

“Hey Shane!” Ryan greeted, followed by the other four new people. He gestured to each of them as he introduced them. “This is Kenny, he’s playing Adam. Niki, who will play Ying, and this is Zack and Justin. The rest are coming in separate cars. They should be here in a few minutes.” 

Shane gave a nod and small wave to the group. 

“Yo, so this house is really haunted?” Zack asked.

“Yeah, they’re friendly though. A house full of Casper the friendly ghosts,” Shane joked. 

“Sweeeett…” Zack and Justin said together as they walked inside. 

Kenny shook his hand as he walked in, and Niki gave an awkward wave. A honk startled all of them as another car pulled up. Niki waved for real at the man inside. 

The man driving stepped out of the car and… Shane was used to being the tallest in the room. As the man walked up with another guy in tow, he realized that this guy was even taller than he was. 

“Hey Garrett!” Niki greeted. “Sup, Eli?”

“Nothin’ much,” Eli said nonchalantly, turning to Shane as Garrett and Niki did a convoluted handshake. “So you’re the Ghost Seer?” 

Shane nodded. Eli nodded back, but didn’t say anything else as he walked into the house. Garrett walked over and held out his hand for Shane to shake. 

“Hi, I’m Garrett,” he said brightly. 

“I’m Shane, nice to meet you.” 

A light thud from the van drew their attention. Safiya was trying to pull all the costumes out, but it was a little much for one person. Shane and Garrett both went back to help her, and Ryan came back out to help as well. The four of them managed to get all of the suits and dresses, and Niki carried the box of shoes inside. Another car drove in, and Safiya went back outside to greet the women piling out of the car. Five in total, wildly different in looks. Shane went back out to greet them as well. 

“Hi, you must be Shane! I’m Devin,” the tallest said, shaking Shane’s hand. 

“I’m Freddie,” said one of the girls as another said “I’m Chantel!”

“Hey, I’m Kristen, you’re cool, and I love watching your interviews with my husband.” 

“Uhh, I’m Jen, and Kristen stole my compliment about you being cool, but I love watching your stuff.” 

Shane smiled sheepishly. “Thanks, I appreciate it. I thought everyone would think I was crazy.” 

“No way, after that dig up of the thing you predicted? You can’t disprove that!” Kristen said. 

They all headed back to the porch. Ryan was waiting for them. 

“That’s everyone! So me and Shane are going to to be filming the pre-party scene while everyone gets ready, then we’ll explain where you guys will be. Saf has your costumes upstairs.”

Safiya beckoned everyone to follow her, “I’ll show you, and you can use either that room or the bathroom to change, but there’s not much space. Shane and Ryan, come get makeup done after you get changed!”

Shane and Ryan went upstairs with the rest to get their costumes while TJ set up his tripod. Shane got changed quickly and went back up to the nursery to get his makeup done. Ryan was nowhere in sight, and Shane guessed that he was still getting ready. Saf sat him down and started putting foundation on his face when she suddenly stopped. Shane opened his eyes to find her staring on the mark on his neck that his collar just barely covered. He looked away awkwardly. She didn’t say anything but made him turn his head to the side and pull down his collar so she could cover it. Of course, that’s the moment that Ryan came in the room. Shane saw him stop and stare at the hickey, and he felt his face burn with embarrassment. 

“I’ll wait til Shane’s done,” Ryan said, his voice sounding a little forced as he walked back out. 

Shane heard a small sigh from Safiya as she began concealing it, and she sounded almost… sad? Maybe disappointed? He just ignored it and let her fix him up. 

When he walked out, Ryan was standing against the wall, and he couldn’t look him in the eye as he past. He didn’t know why he felt like he felt so guilty, as if he’d cheated. They weren’t together or anything… Yet, Shane felt his stomach turn a little as he looked back at Ryan’s retreating form. 

 

Ryan was out of it while they were filming the pre-party scene. He kept missing his entrance, and dropping the things he was setting on the table. After a half hour, they managed to get a good take. 

“Alright, take five, and we’ll get the party scene ready,” TJ said. 

Ryan nodded and met Shane’s eyes for a moment before he dropped his eyes to the ground and walked out. Shane heard the door to the garden open and close, and guessed he was getting some air. 

“Hey, Shane, wanna see if anyone is ready so they can help set the rest of this up?” TJ asked.

Shane nodded and headed upstairs to ask. 

 

Once they were all set up and everyone was ready, Ryan came back, looking a little better. He started instructing everyone where to be. Shane stood to the side while the group became a 1930’s New Year party. Once Ryan left, he ducked and followed him, redoing the shot a couple times just to make sure they’d get a smooth take. From there, they took more shots of the party talking and laughing and drinking. TJ counted off a “Happy New Year!” and did a couple variations of it before saying they did great and that the party was done. The big group disbanded, some going to change, some to stay and watch as TJ filmed Shane making tea and picking up the tray. 

After that, they went to the master bedroom to film Ryan pulling the journal out of the floorboard and write in it before Shane walks in with the tea. Then they went back and filmed them both entering the room and sitting on the bed, before Shane pats him on the knee and walks out. Then back to a redo of the journal shot, where he puts it back in the floorboard as Shane walks in and brings him the tea set. Shane noticed that Ryan was holding his gaze again with no hesitation as they filmed. They looked away and sat in silence as the camera panned out. 

Everyone except Shane and Ryan were out of costume at this point, hanging out or watching them. 

“All right, that’s a wrap for today! Good job everyone!” TJ announced. 

The group cheered, and began leaving. Zach and Justin walked up to Shane. 

“Dude, I was leaning on that bannister,” Justin said, pointing up at it. “And something pushed me backwards. Like, I nearly went to the floor!”

“Yeah, it was crazy!” Zack added. 

Shane nodded, “Keith. He fell to his death from that bannister, he doesn’t like seeing people there cause he’s afraid it might happen to someone else.” 

Zack and Justin were open mouthed and wide eyed as Shane spoke so casually about it. They shared a look. 

“Duuuudeeee…” They said in unison as they stared up at the spot. 

Shane walked away to get changed back into his own clothes, then helped Safiya bring down the rest of the costumes back to the van, along with Ryan, Garrett, and Niki. He looked over at Ryan when they were safely fit inside, to find Ryan already looking at him. Ryan quickly looked away, as if they were still filming the last scene. Shane felt another stab of guilt as he looked away as well. 

“See you tomorrow,” Ryan said quietly as he got in the van. 

Shane went back into the house as they drove away, alone again. The hole in his heart felt like it was getting better, and he just felt like the biggest idiot and douche. His feet moved without his head realizing it, and he found himself in the living room, one of the only fully renovated rooms in the house. He sat on the couch, his head in one of his hands. 

“You doing okay, Shane?” the soft female voice said from beside him. 

Shane shrugged and then shook his head slightly. He lifted his head up to meet Ariel’s eyes. 

“I just feel so… dumb… ya know? And I don’t know what to do with myself. I’ve… I’ve never felt so strongly about a guy, and I just met the dude a couple weeks ago! And then we had that moment and I’m a dumbass who thought it would be best to get shitfaced and sleep with some random guy, and now Ryan was all awkward around me. And then there’s two parts of me arguing that he likes me and I shouldn’t be dumb, but another that’s screaming that this is gonna be one of those situations where I think a guy likes me but they are actually straight and I’m an idiot.” Shane ranted, feeling a little better just getting it off of his chest. “And I should’ve listened to Keith and everyone else.” 

Ariel sat there, listening intently, nodding her head along. When Shane fell quiet, she put her hand on his. “I can’t pretend I know exactly what it’s like to be a gay man, because I’m not. But honey, you need to tell that side of your brain to shut up.” She ran her other hand up and down his back in a very motherly fashion. “If you think that he likes you, then take the chance and ask him out. Worst case scenario, he rejects you. It won’t be the end of the world.”

“But we still have the filming, and I don’t want to make things awkward… Well…  _ more _ awkward.” Shane retorted. 

“Then wait til the end of filming to tell him. But until then, just act naturally. He likes you, whether it’s romantically or not, so make the most of that for the time being. You can end up with a good friend, one that isn’t only able to be seen by you. And you never know what can happen,” Ariel said, continuing to rub his back soothingly. 

Shane thought about her words. Ariel always seemed to know what to say and how to make you feel better.

Ned appeared behind him as well, Bean’s pitter patter following him. 

“And, to be fair, we all think that Ryan likes you too. Zach and Eugene watched him on the break when he went outside, and he was muttering to himself about you. Think he might’ve gotten jealous cause of your love mark,” Ned said with an impish smile as he sat on Shane’s other side. 

Shane let out a breath of laughter, although he felt tears welling up in his eyes. Bean whimpered at him and laid his head on Shane’s lap to try and make him feel better. Ned and Ariel “aww”ed as Shane smiled tearily and ruffled Bean’s head, making his ears flop around. Bean leapt onto Shane’s lap, and Shane laughed as Bean used the leverage to lick Ned’s face. 

“Thank you,” Shane said to all three of them. 

They felt like family to him. He was glad he’d met all of them. 


	8. 1974-1976: Family on Fire

**1974-1976**

_ (History told from records, family and friend testimony, and police reports) _

 

In May of 1972, a young couple moved into this grand estate with their dog, Bean. The previous owner had died 2 years prior, and the house was abandoned during that time. But the chipping paint and broken windows meant nothing to the Fulmers, who saw it as an opportunity for their dream home, and for a wonderful price. Though they were warned that it was haunted, they paid little mind, not believing much of it. 

As they fixed up the house, they began noticing the activity, and after Ariel got spooked by an apparition, they called in a psychic. The psychic told them that there were indeed spirits, but they meant no harm. She did, however, refuse to go near the shed, as she sensed a dark energy from it, and advised them not to use it. They had no reason to, so the couple obliged, and went about their lives, living in peace with the spirits. 

Ned and Ariel lived there happily for two years, and had a baby on the way. An old study was turned into a nursery, and they were looking happily towards the future. Then tragedy struck. 

On the night of November 19th, 1976, a fire broke out in the downstairs living room. It was an electrical fire, due to a malfunction. 

By the time that the couple woke up to their dog barking and the smell of smoke, the flames had reached the upstairs. They couldn’t open the door, and there was no way they could jump from the window, especially with Ariel’s swollen belly. 

When the fire department arrived, they discovered the two on the ground, huddled together with Ned protectively over Ariel, their dog laying next to them. They had all died of asphyxiation. 

 

The pitter patter of a dog’s nails against the hardwood can be heard, and on the night of November 19th each year, reports of a dog barking frantically are always made. A baby crying can be heard from the nursery that never was used, the spirit of the child that never made it into this world. Ned can be seen in the living room, and sometimes people will hear shouts or something being knocked over. In the kitchen, people have reported smelling a delicious dinner being cooked, and feeling a warm, almost cozy feeling that is believed to be Ariel’s presence. 


	9. Just Another Day (ft. a Death Scene)

“Fuck, it’s freezing in here…” Shane complained as he tugged on his jacket, sitting on his usual seat on the bench. It was evening, and since the sun was setting, it was getting chillier.

“Hm, I can’t really tell,” Sara said, holding back a grin.

Shane shot her a dirty look. “Why didn’t anyone ever fix the damn AC in this house? Radiators are such a hassle, and they’re only in certain rooms!”

Sara shook her head, “Hey, don’t look at me. We were college kids who spent all our money on an old haunted house and weed... We weren’t updating the house. And suck it up, you complain about this every time it starts getting cold.”

“Yeah, cause it’s getting cold and I happen to have a living human body that gets cold. Sucks, I know.” Shane said in a deadpan voice, making Sara laugh. 

“Man, I think you may be, dare I say, back to your normal self? Let’s see how long that lasts once Dreamboat McGee gets here,” she said with a wink. 

Before Shane could retort, a honk outside alerted them that they were here. 

“Speak of the handsome devil,” Sara grinned slyly. 

Shane rolled his eyes, not bothering to respond as he opened the front door. They had brought their usual van, but Kenny was pulling in with an antique car that they were borrowing for filming. It was impressive; Ryan told him that it was from like this guy who reworked and remade old car models that didn’t even exist anymore. It certainly looked like it was from the 1930’s, but it shined like it was brand new. Kenny gave a small bow as he stepped out of the car, the two men in the back seat laughing. He recognised one of them as Garrett.

“Very nice,” Shane said, out to the open. 

Ryan walked over to him with a huge grin as he looked at the sleek black car. “I think it was worth $200 to borrow it for a day, it’ll look amazing on screen!”

Shane nodded in agreement as Ryan looked up at him, his smile growing softer. 

“So, you ready to film?”

“Hell yeah, I’m always down to die,” Shane said in a cheerful tone that made Ryan blink before giving him a nervous laugh. “Kidding… kidding…”

“Uh… Oh! This is Mike, by the way, he’ll be playing the robber. And you know Garrett,” Ryan introduced as they walked up. 

Shane waved hello to both of them, receiving waves back. 

“Alright, well, let’s get started then!” Ryan said as he hopped over the stairs to the front door, disappearing into the house. 

Shane followed suite, the rest of the crew’s footsteps behind him.

 

Once in costume and ready for filming, they set up the car with Kenny driving, since they wouldn’t see the driver’s face on screen. Ryan held a big traveling bag, and Shane was waiting for his cue to help Ryan up. 

Once TJ signaled them, Shane held his hand up for Ryan to use as leverage to seat himself after placing the bag inside. The car began rolling away and Shane waved goodbye. They repeated the scene until the sun had gone down. Meanwhile, Garrett and Mike had put sugar glass in the bottom panel of the window that they could shatter it safely for the scene. 

“Okay, so now let’s move on to the robbery,” Ryan said, stepping out of the car. 

The crew nodded and headed inside to start shooting. 

TJ got some shots of Shane milling about the parlour, putting books away. TJ counted down to signal when the window would be shattering to film Shane’s reaction before he ran out past the camera into the hall. 

“Okay, so no pressure, Mike, but we have to do this perfectly on the first try, since we only have one panel. Use the butt of the knife to smash the window, and start coming in immediately, keep in character until you are in. Sound good, Ry?” TJ directed, looking to Ryan, who was standing beside him.

Ryan, who had been looking Shane, blinked at the sound of his name. “Oh, yeah, sounds great!”

Shane looked over at Ryan, who was now, almost intensely, looking Not-at-Shane. He looked away, focusing instead to watch Mike shatter the window and pull himself through, breaking shards with his hands as he climbed in. Mike turned to look at Shane, just past the camera, with an aggressive look on his face. As soon as TJ yelled “Cut!” however, Mike smiled brightly. 

“How was that?” he asked, looking pretty happy with himself. 

“Yeah, I think we definitely got it,” TJ said as Ryan nodded happily. 

Ryan looked over to Shane, “You ready to die?” he asked in a faux-spooky voice. 

“Always,” Shane said, deadpan, before letting out a snicker. 

“Holy shit,” Ryan said, a slightly-nervous smile on his face. “Not in real life, alright?”

Shane laughed, but didn’t say anything else in response. 

“Okay, well, let’s start filming then,” Ryan said after an awkward moment. “Shane, from where you are, start running towards Mike, and Mike, I want you to be ready to catch him and start wrestling for the knife. We’re gearing for raw emotion here, so I’d rather leave it up to you exactly what happens next, but of course, Shane ends up getting stabbed.” 

The two looked at each other and nodded. “It’s on,” Shane said as he dropped into a fighting stance, making everyone laugh before they began acting seriously again. 

As soon as TJ yelled action, Shane sprinted towards Mike, who sidestepped and caught him, twisting him around before Shane broke free and grabbed for the knife. They grappled for a moment, and out of the corner of his eye, Shane saw the camera following them as they ended up against the wall. The momentary distraction was what did him in. Mike had him up against the wall, knife in hand, and Shane felt the blade retract as it hit his torso, just below the ribcage. The capsule of red they’d put in the knife to break and spurt fake blood when the knife retracted did its job, and Shane felt the dampness of it through his shirt. He reacted as if it had been a real knife and he’d really been stabbed, his eyes widening as Mike held his gaze. Mike ripped the knife away, letting Shane fall to the ground, clutching just below his chest. As Mike quickly ran towards the parlour, TJ yelled “CUT!” 

“YES! YES!! JESUS CHRIST, YES! THAT WAS AWESOME!!” Ryan shouted, practically jumping up and down in excitement. 

“Oh, thanks for the concern, Ryan, I really appreciate it,” Shane said sarcastically from the floor, earning a laugh from Ryan. 

“Okay, come on, we still have to finish three more parts before the sun rises,” TJ said, rolling his eyes at the two of them. 

Shane stayed like that while they filmed Mike ransacking the parlour and Kenny running down the stairs, armed with a fire poker. Mike slashed at Kenny with the knife before running to the window and climbing out with what he had. When TJ shouted cut, Mike came back in through the door. Safiya had more fake blood ready, and poured it onto where Shane was “stabbed”, as well as some on Kenny’s arm. She also had scissors, in which she cut holes where the knife had hit. 

They went straight back into filming, Kenny running back over to Shane and flipping him over, laying him against the wall. Shane touched his arm, and shared a look with him before Kenny got up, heading for the phone. They cut there, then Garrett came in dressed like a doctor (which meant he was just wearing a normal suit, but carried a bag). Then Kenny and Garrett carried him to Andrew’s room and laid him on the bed. Since it was a replica, they weren’t worried about the fake blood getting on the sheets, and Shane just laid there, staring at the ceiling and breathing heavily and letting his mind wander a little as Garrett and Kenny were pressing on his chest and trying to clean the blood off. He briefly let his head turn towards the door, seeing the camera and Ryan both looking at him. He didn’t miss the fact that Ryan was staring at his chest, the shirt bared open. But he was acting, and goddamnit, he was dying, so he simply turned his head slowly back to the ceiling. He started letting his breath hitch as Garrett and Kenny got more frantic, and after talking with the real Andrew, he got a sad fact about his last moments. He suddenly grabbed at Kenny, going a little off-script but whatever. He began pleading with him, “tell Steven I- I loved him, please. I don’t want to leave him…” 

As he said the last words, he sank back into the pillows, his hand dropping, limp, off the side of the bed. 

His eyes closed, Shane was all too aware that no one had called cut, no one was moving or even breathing it seemed. After a few moments of silence, he opened his eyes to see everyone in some degree of shock or sadness. 

“Cut,” TJ said quietly, shaking his head as if he just remembered where he was. 

“Shane…” Ryan said, stepping forward towards the bed. “Is that… did…”

“Yeah,” Shane nodded solemnly. “Andrew admitted that a few days ago to me.”

“Shit,” Garrett chimed in with a nervous laugh, “This is like a soap opera.” 

Shane shrugged. “Are we still filming the next part or..?”

“Oh, right, yeah!” Ryan said, moving away from the bed. 

When they finished filming the rest of the scene, Ryan running in and collapsing next to him, they moved back to the kitchen to film the rest of the phone scene with Kenny. Shane stayed in the bedroom, sitting up and swinging his legs over the bed. Steven appeared a moment later, silently sitting next to him. 

“Are you okay?” Shane asked after a couple moments of quiet. 

Steven hesitated before speaking. “I… well, you did a very good job… It was like I was there, finally seeing exactly what happened.” 

Shane wasn’t quite sure how to respond. And how could anyone? Seeing the way that your best friend and almost lover was killed was bound to strike something in you. 

“You know… I actually never knew those were his last words,” Steven said, his voice strained. He cleared his throat. “I think Adam tried to tell me at some point, but I was too stricken with grief to listen.” 

Shane could only nod his head solemnly as Steven shook his head with a sad smile. 

“What good is dwelling on the past?” he said, before pausing. “But there’s no future for us either. I guess that’s our curse. Forever stuck in one moment of time, while the world goes on around us. But this… present… it isn’t so bad. We’re together, and in the end, I suppose that’s all we really wanted.” 

There was something in Steven’s words that resonated with Shane. As he pondered them, Steven stood once again. 

“You’ve done wonderfully at this, Shane. And one more word of advice before I let you go back to them. Don’t let the little moments pass you by. I think your story here, it’ll surely end much better than it did for us. Cherish that.” 

With that, Steven disappeared again, vanishing as he rounded the corner of the door.

 

They finished filming by 1 AM, exhausted but happy with the night’s work. 

“Alright, we’ll meet at 1 tomorrow, so rest up tonight,” TJ said as they all headed out.

Shane waved them out as usual, staying behind for a little bit. Sara bounded down the stairs, waving Shane up. 

“We’re hanging out and talking, if you want to join us for a little bit!” she said excitedly as she went back into the master bedroom.

Shane followed her. She was jumping onto the bed next to Helen, while Brent was sitting in the chair, a look of “what did I get myself into” on his face. Shane stood against the wall, not wanting to fall asleep if he sat down. 

“You saw Ryan checking you out right? In that scene when you had your shirt undone, and like, I saw him sneaking peeks after that too,” Sara said, a wicked grin on her face as she shook Helen lightly. 

“Maybe you should’ve left it undone for the rest of it,” Helen added, her usual innocent look replaced by one that nearly matched Sara’s. 

Brent shared a look with Shane, as he shook his head, smiling. 

“I mean, uh… well,” Shane said, trying to come up for a logical reason as to why Ryan was looking at him. 

“And I kept seeing Ryan just like… sneaking glances at him like he was so sneaky…” Sara said to Helen, who giggled in response. 

“I bet there would be a lot of that even if they were dating,” Helen added mischievously. 

Shane rolled his eyes, looking back to Brent, who was still smiling fondly at his friends. Shane let his mind wander as Sara and Helen continued on their tangent, thinking back to when he first saw Brent. That shadowy figure in the corner, consumed by anger and guilt, was gone. Looking at Brent now, he seemed to almost glow with happy energy; quiet, subtle, but still there. 

He thought back to what Steven had said earlier, “But there’s no future for us either. I guess that’s our curse. Forever stuck in one moment of time, while the world goes on around us.” 

There was truth to it. Sara and Helen would never get married or raise a family, Brent would never get the job he had wanted in life. But still, it didn’t really seem like they were stuck in one moment of time. Maybe physically they were stuck, remnants of who they once were, stuck in this house… but that life wasn’t gone. The lives of all the spirits who lived here continued on, stuck in one spot, but still, progressing. And Shane supposed that’s why what Steven said resonated with him. 

“It isn’t so bad. We’re together, and in the end, I suppose that’s all we really wanted.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys, thanks for being patient with me :) i've been busy with work, and spring break so i took some time off and wasn't able to write for a few days. hopefully the chapters will be coming more regularly again now
> 
> also my sister finally finished reading this, they were reading it out loud while i drove and everytime they cried or shouted "i hate you!" and hit my arm, it only gave me more power ahahahah


	10. 1989-1994: On Lesbians and Possession

 

**1989-1994**

_ (History told from friend and family testimony and Brent’s final letter) _

 

In the summer of ‘89, three young people moved into this amazingly cheap house, fresh out of college and interested in its history. 

Sara Rubin and Helen Pam were girlfriends who had met in college and began dating, and their third roommate was their friend Brent Bennett. 

Sara was very spiritual, and she wanted to experience the paranormal activity, although she was still a bit skeptical. She often explored the house, trying to find things that may bring more light to the hidden histories of the house. It was she that found the journal of the house’s first owner, Steven Lim, bringing his secret love to life. 

Helen often tried to leave little things to appease the spirits, reading up on the history with Sara to figure out what they might like. From playing music that would be familiar to the spirits, to leaving little presents for them, she thought it would be nice to have the spirits happy. 

Brent, on the other hand, believed none of it, and explained everything away to normal things, even if it seemed to make less sense. Sara and Helen would often wonder how he truly thought the wind, with all the windows shut, could make a flower vase fall off the mantle. 

For four years, they lived in a daily routine, where Brent went to work as an editor for a paper, and Sara and Helen ran a small business from home selling handmade jewelry and soaps. Everything was going well until in 1983, Brent went into the shed, unaware of the psychic’s past warnings. 

As he looked around it, wanting to clean it out and use it for extra storage, he discovered an old switchblade, decades old and rusting. He picked it up and opened it, and as he saw the blood stained on the blade, he felt sick. He couldn’t explain it, but he suddenly had a storm of strong emotions around him, angry and violent. Shutting the knife and throwing it back, he left the shed and never went back. 

At least that’s what he told himself. He wouldn’t tell anyone about that incident; they’d think he’s crazy. He hardly believed that it wasn’t a dream, but he kept having it. In his last letter, he detailed how he would have dreams often, and he would see two boys being killed. He suspected that it was just coincidental that two boys were killed in the same manner on the grounds. The longer it went on however, the more violent the thoughts and more often they came. He wrote that “it was like I was in a trance, suddenly I wasn’t myself, and I would feel all of this rage burning inside me for no reason. I wanted to hurt people. I wanted to hurt my friends. I shouldn’t have ignored it for as long as I did, I should’ve left the house while I still had the chance. It’s my own fault I let it finally get me.” 

On the night of February 14th, after Sara and Helen had come back from a night out and gone to bed, the strongest urge yet took hold of Brent. He was drawn back to the shed, and as he picked up the knife and opened it, it “was like I was possessed. At one time, I would’ve found the idea stupid. But some force moved me to their bedroom.” The two girls were killed in their sleep, and as Brent came back to himself, he recounts that “I woke up, like it was a dream, to see them dead in their bed. I had murdered my friends. There’s no words to describe how I felt. Honestly, even in the moment, I didn’t panic about what would happen to me. I knew, in that moment, that no amount of jail time would be enough to atone for this. I know that I will also be dying tonight.” 

Brent left the room, writing a letter in the study to explain everything that had happened and why he killed them. Then he killed himself using the very knife that had caused it all. 

Later, when the police inspected the knife, they found that it was the same knife that had been used to murder Zach and Eugene in ‘53, hidden away all those years with that dark energy surrounding it. 

 

Sara and Helen can often be seen in the living room, followed by a whiff of a floral soap. Sara is also thought to be the most active of the ghosts, often heard running down hallways, laughing, teasing visitors, moving things around. Sometimes during these occurrences, people will claim that they hear another woman saying “Sara”, as if exasperated with the antics, thought to be Helen. On the other hand, Brent is one of the least active spirits, although some have seen a man writing a letter in the study, thought to be the residual haunting of the moments after he killed them and before he killed himself. If the shed is mentioned, the lights will flicker, and some have claimed to hear Brent say “Don’t go in there.” 


	11. Confession

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this turned out longer than i thought... but its what i know y'all been waiting for ;)

 

The filming of the day was pretty calm in comparison to the previous day. They were just shooting some moments to be interspersed in Andrew’s death scene, and half of them were some teens and some kids playing younger versions of them. Most of the day was spent in makeup, changing it to make them look a little younger, or to change costumes. It was a calm day.

Shane was back in his regular clothes, standing behind the camera, watching the kids chase each other around the garden. Ryan was nodding his head, a wide grin on his face. Shane couldn’t help but think that there was a glow to his smile, and judging by the knowing looks of Zach and Eugene from a few feet away, they could tell he was thinking gay thoughts. Which, yeah, he was, but that didn’t stop him from rolling his eyes at them.

“Okay guys, that was great! High fives,” Ryan said happily, holding his hands up for the little boys to slap. “I’ll let you guys have thirty minutes for lunch, then we’ll finish up, alright?”

The boys nodded, running inside to their moms.

Ryan looked over at Shane, suddenly turned away when Shane smiled back at him, then went to TJ. Shane looked over at Zach and Eugene awkwardly, and they shrugged and shook their heads at him. He didn’t want to go talk to them in front of the others so he gave a small wave and went inside.

The two teenagers had brought in were sitting in his usual seat on the front bench, laughing and messing with each other. The little boys were sitting in the parlour with their moms, eating sandwiches while their moms talked away. None of the ghosts were anywhere to be seen. Awkwardly, Shane passed by them and went up to the master bedroom, knowing that Sara, Steven, maybe Helen would be there.

“Heyo!” Sara greeted him as he pushed open the door. “Why aren’t you downstairs?”

Shane sat on the bed, shrugging. “Lunch break, felt awkward. I don’t know what to say to kids or teenagers, and Ryan was talking to TJ so…”

Before Sara could respond, there was a light knock on the partially open door. Shane looked up to see Ryan looking sheepishly at him.

“I’m not interrupting or anything, am I?” he asked, lowering his hand.

Shane shook his head, glancing at Sara to see a knowing smile on her face as she looked between the two of them.

“I, uh… I just wanted to talk to you, ya know? It feels like we haven’t really gotten to the last few days…” Ryan said, looking at the ground in front of him momentarily.

Shane’s eyebrows went up a little in surprise. “Uh, yeah, sure. You can come in, by the way, I won’t bite.”

Ryan laughed as he came in and sat next to Shane on the bed. Sara took her cue to leave, although Shane knew she’d still be listening.

“So I uh… I just was wondering how, uh… well, I mean, I know you aren’t like an actor, so I was just wondering if your girlfriend was okay with… this…” Ryan asked, his words fumbled and a little nervous.

“Oh.” Shane said, a little surprised. “I… I don’t have a… I’m gay, actually. I, uh, don’t have a boyfriend either…”

Now Ryan was the surprised one, as he let out a simple “oh.” He momentarily glanced at Shane’s neck, the bruise light but still there. He looked like he wanted to ask but didn’t know how.

“That was… a dumb mistake. I was drunk and… dumb,” Shane said, looking away.

“Oh.”

They didn’t look at each other for a moment, sitting in a slightly awkward silence with all the new information.

“Well, uh… then maybe we could… go get dinner or something after filming...?” Ryan questioned, looking up.

Shane couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Dumbly, he asked, “Like a date?”

Ryan giggled, “Yeah, if you want it to be…”

“Yeah…. Uh, wow, yeah, I would love to,” Shane said, his face beginning to burn.

“Alright, then we can go to this little sushi place downtown? I’ve been wanting to go for a while, so maybe that would be a good place? It’s been highly recommended.” Ryan suggested.

Shane nodded, unable to keep the grin off of his face. “I can drive, if you want?”

“Usually it would be the other way around… but I do usually just take the bus or get rides so…”

“Okay, then I’ll pick you up… 7? And you can direct me to the restaurant,” Shane said.

Ryan grinned as he nodded. “It’s a date.”

“Okay,” Shane said, starting to laugh out of happiness.

“Okay,” Ryan said back in giggles.

“Maybe okay can be our-”

“Don’t,” Ryan said, rolling his eyes and pushing Shane lightly.

“... Okay.”

“I hate you.”

  


After filming was done for the day, and shy “see you later”’s were exchanged between the two, while Safiya and TJ looked at each other as if saying “finally”, Shane closed the front door and yelled.

“I HAVE A DATE! I HAVE A DATE! I HAVE A DATE!!!”

Soon the room was filled, Zach and Eugene and Sara were all yelling, Keith was chanting “Go, Shane!”, Bean was barking, and everyone else was clapping or congratulating him. It was like he had just won an award. He certainly felt like it too.

Ariel hugged him, “I told you so,” she whispered as she patted his back.

“I think we can _all_ say I told you so, honestly,” Ned said, looking around at the group.

“Yeah, yeah,” Shane said, although he couldn’t suppress the smile he wore as he looked around at them.

“I think we all certainly knew,” Helen said as Sara nodded her head vigorously in agreement.

“What do I wear? We’re getting sushi, do I dress casual? But I don’t want to be too casual…” Shane questioned aloud, buzzing with nervous energy.

“Honestly, are we the right people to ask? The closest one of us to your fashion is over there wearing Nike shorts and mismatched socks.” Sara said, raising her eyebrow as she looked over at Keith.

“You know, I would protest, but you are absolutely right,” Keith said, nodding to Sara.

“Yeah, sorry, bud,” Ned said as he clapped Shane on the back. “The fashion advice I could give is from when the most fashionable thing was bellbottoms and chest hair.”

Shane clicked his tongue, “Right…”

“Oh, what about that button up shirt you sometimes wear?” Helen suggested. “Maybe with a jacket or something, I think that would look nice. Plus then it’s not super casual but it’s not fancy either!”

Shane nodded as he began to head for the door, “Yeah… that could work… Okay...”

“Go get em, tiger,” Eugene called out.

“Thanks, guys,” Shane said sincerely, flashing them a smile before he closed the door and locked it behind him.

 

“Okay, okay, this is fine, this is fine,” Shane repeated quietly to himself as he pulled closer to the address Ryan texted him earlier.

Ryan was standing in front of the apartment building, looking at his phone. For a split second, Shane had the urge to scare him by honking or something, but Ryan looked up before he could. The missed opportunity was made up by Ryan’s blinding grin as Shane rolled down the window.

“You lookin’ for a ride, hot stuff?” Shane asked in some sort of accent from New York.

Ryan giggled as he opened the passenger door, “I was actually waiting for someone, this tall attractive fellow.”

Shane didn’t miss a beat, although his heart did, “Ah, sounds like a nice guy.”

“He sure is,” Ryan said as he got in and closed the door behind him. “A bit wacky, but it’s cute… most of the time.”

“Ay, ay, what do ya mean, most of the time?” Shane objected in his regular voice, although he couldn’t stop smiling.

“Oh, Shane! I didn’t realize it was you!” Ryan acted shocked. “Much better than that weird guy offering me a ride. He was pretty cute though…”

“Taking you out on a date and picking you up like a gentleman, and you are looking at other guys,” Shane said in an offended tone.

“None of them are as cute as you though,” Ryan said, joking but a little quieter.

“Oh,” Shane stopped along with his heart. “Well that’s just not fair play.”

Ryan laughed, and Shane looked over to see that his face was red. Even more unfair.

As they drove, they idly chit-chatted about the film, how Ryan was going to piece the shots they’d taken together, how good the shots had come out.

“Oh, take this left, and it’ll be right there,” Ryan directed as they got closer to the restaurant.

There was parking right in front of the building, and to their luck, a car was just pulling out of a spot. Once they parked, Shane gestured for Ryan to wait before he got out of the car, went to the other side, and opened the door for him.

“Oh, what a gentleman,” Ryan said fawnishly as Shane closed the door behind him.

“Man of the gents, I am,” Shane said in response, grinning.

They went inside and were seated pretty quickly. Since it was a Thursday night, there weren’t too many people crowding the place, and they were seated by a window. They looked over the menu in silence for a moment, enjoying the light chatter around them. After a few moments, an enthusiastic young blonde came over to their table with utensils.

“Hi, my name is Lindsey, I’ll be your server this evening,” she said as she set them down in front of them. “Can I get you two anything to drink?”

“Can I get the Sapporo draft?” Shane asked.

“I’ll do the same,” Ryan added.

“Alright, and do you want another minute to look over the menu?” she asked as she jotted their drinks down.

Shane shrugged, “I’m a simple guy who likes a Philly Roll.”

“Yeah, I’ll have the California Roll. That should hold us for a bit, at least.” Ryan said, smiling at her.

“Alright, I’ll bring the drafts right out,” Lindsey said with a smile as she took their menus.

They took another moment of silence to look around the restaurant. It was cozy, with dull warm light and pictures of cherry blossoms everywhere. They seemed to really be playing up “Japan”, but it didn’t seem overwhelming.

“You were right, Ry, this seems like a nice place,” Shane commented, breaking the silence.

“Yeah, Saf and her boyfriend come here all the time apparently, I can see why.” Ryan said, looking back over at Shane.

Lindsey came back with their drinks, and they thanked her before taking a sip.

“Mm, oh that’s good,” Shane said as he set the glass down.

Ryan nodded, “Good choice.”

There was another pause as they tried to think of something to talk about.

“So I guess I have to ask… what is it like, being able to see ghosts? When did you realize? Can you see them outside the house?” Ryan asked, energizing himself with the curiosity.

“Woah, slow down there, I can only answer so many things at once,” Shane said, to which Ryan blushed and calmed down. “Well, for starters, I realized my first day on the job, when I saw Sara and didn’t realize that she wasn’t someone from the group. So I called out to her, and everyone else was like “whaaattt, who is he talking to?” and then I stayed behind after the tour to see if it really was Sara that I saw, and yes, it was.”

“Woah,” was all Ryan said, staring at Shane with wide eyes.

“And no, I don’t think that I see them outside the house… But I can’t really be sure because I mistook Sara for just a normal person the first time I saw her, so… really who knows.”

“What are they like? Like can you see through them and stuff, and can they float or walk through walls or anything?” Ryan asked as he took another sip.

“Well… it’s kinda weird, and hard to explain. Like they are transparent, but sometimes they are more or less so. And it seems to happen kinda randomly, so I have no idea. And no they don’t float, but they do disappear and reappear. And they can walk through doors, but not walls. I’ve actually seen a theory that the whole “ghosts walking through walls” is because there used to be a door where they walk through, but the Honeybee House was never remodeled. Most of it, except a few rooms, are exactly as they were when Steven and Andrew and Adam lived in it. Well, the actual things that were in the house were mainly left there until the tours came along. We wanted it to be the same but didn’t want to risk tourists breaking anything, so most of the real items are in the museum house next door.”

Ryan perked up, “Oh yeah, I read about that, but we never went and saw it… is it just like an actual museum but with old bedspreads and stuff?”

“More or less,” Shane laughed. “Yeah, just like the old phone, teasets, music box. Plus there’s some stuff from the other families, like Bean’s collar, the original bassinet, some of Sara and Helen’s jewelry and soaps that they made are on display. Even the knife that killed Zach, Eugene, Sara, and Helen is there, but that’s on like… top security so no one can just take it or anything. No one likes going near it. Oh and another kinda creepy thing in there is Keith’s camera.”

Ryan was intrigued, giving him a look that said “go on…”

“Well, he was videotaping while he was exploring, and when he fell, he was still holding the camera. So he uh… he actually recorded his death. And they play that recording in one room if you want to see it. There was like an hour of just footage of the floor and Keith’s feet, but when they watched it back, they found that right before the camera shut off, you can see Keith’s ghost, and it shuts off as he gets closer. So they cut to that part.”

“Holy shit…” Ryan said incredulously.

“And the weirdest part about all of this... is that I forget that they are dead sometimes,” Shane admitted. “They are just such a big part of my life now, and I go to them to talk or ask advice or anything.”

“Honestly, that’s incredible.” Ryan said, his voice filled with awe.

They were brought back to their surroundings by Lindsey coming back to their table with their food.

“Enjoy, guys!” she said as she walked away.

They called thanks after her as they looked at their food.

“You mind if I take a pic for my Instagram story?” Ryan asked.

Shane nodded, and Ryan took out his phone and pointed it towards Shane. Shane leaned down and pointed at his plate with the other hand giving a thumbs up, and Ryan laughed as he took it.

“Hey, what’s your handle?” Shane asked as Ryan began typing.

“Bergarafilms,” Ryan answered. “What’s yours? I can tag you!”

“I’m simple, it’s just shanemadej.” Shane shrugged as he followed Ryan’s IG.

A couple seconds later, Ryan put his phone down, and Shane saw his story. He tapped it to see himself with the caption, “first date with @shanemadej, can’t wait to try this!”

He knew it was a date, but still, seeing Ryan declare it on social media that it was a date was making Shane’s heart beat twice as fast and he quickly took out his chopsticks to distract his beating heart.

“Alright, Ry, let’s see how good of a taste Safiya has.”

Ryan took out his own chopsticks and they both shoved a sushi roll into their mouths at the same time.

“Mmm,” Shane hummed in approval.

Ryan was nodding, his eyes wide as he chewed. “Lemme try yours,” He said as he swallowed. Shane defended his food with his chopsticks.

“Only if I can steal one of yours,” he said as he swallowed his own.

“Deal.”

Ryan picked up one of his sushi rolls and, instead of setting it down on Shane’s plate, like he thought he would, he held it out in front of Shane’s mouth. Shane’s face began to burn a little, but he took it, and ignored Ryan’s smirk as he chewed it. He nodded.

“Not my favorite, but I’m not a huge crab guy, so…”

“I’m glad, cause I think that would be a little weird. Just a giant half crab guy walking around,” Ryan said, making himself laugh.

“Haha, very funny,” Shane said, rolling his eyes. He took the opportunity to pick up one of his own rolls and hold it in front of Ryan’s face.

Ryan’s face instantly turned red when he realized what was happening.

“You said you wanted to try mine,” Shane said, feigning innocence.

Ryan glared at him for a moment before he took it into his mouth.

“Don’t smirk at me like that…” he mumbled through his full mouth, looking at the table in embarrassment.

“Don’t act like you didn’t do the same thing,” Shane said, leaning over the table a little more with a grin that would make Sara proud.

“Shut up!” Ryan was steadily reddening, and he put his face in his hands to avoid Shane’s gaze.

“You’re so cute,” Shane murmured, his grin softening as he leaned his chin on his hand.

“That’s no fair,” Ryan muttered through his hands, peering at him through his fingers.

“This conversation seems familiar…” Shane hummed.

Ryan could only giggle in response, holding Shane’s gaze for a moment before they went back to their food. They lightly bantered throughout the rest of the meal, and tipped Lindsey twice when Shane paid.

 

As Shane pulled into the parking spot in front of Ryan’s apartment, Ryan was strangely quiet. He put the car in park and looked over at Ryan.

“I, uh… I had a great time tonight,” Ryan said shyly, glancing up at Shane with a small smile.

“Yeah, no, it was a lot of fun…” Shane could feel a tension in the air, and his heart began beating a little faster than normal.

“Maybe we could… do this again?”

“I would love that,” Shane said softly.

Ryan looked down, as if he was debating something in his head. Before Shane had a chance to ask what was wrong, Ryan blurted out: “Can I kiss you?”

Shane’s face froze for a moment in shock, before he started nodding almost too quickly. Ryan bit his lower lip before he leaned over to Shane, connecting their mouths together before Shane could even formulate a thought.

Shane could feel Ryan’s hands creep up his neck slowly, making him shiver. His own hands found his way to Ryan’s back, pulling him closer as Ryan’s head tilted to the side for a better angle.

“Fuck, Ry,” Shane groaned as Ryan began kissing down his jaw and to his old hickey.

**_HOOOONNKKKK!_ **

Both of them jumped as the car’s horn went off. In the deafening silence afterwards, they both seemed to remember where they were.

“Um… so… I’ll see you tomorrow!” Ryan said as he quickly disentangled himself and hopped out of the car, his face bright red.

“Yeah…” Shane said, giving him a small wave before he burst out laughing.

Ryan looked back before he walked inside the building, embarrassed but laughing as he waved goodnight to Shane.

Shane decided to call it a night… Sara and the rest of the ghosts could wait and wonder how it went until tomorrow morning. He couldn’t stop smiling as he drove home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you guys enjoyed a little more insight on the ghostiegoos and enjoyed the end ;))))))


	12. 2011: Oh How The Mighty Fall

**2002**

_ (History told from police reports) _

 

The last death in the house was after it was abandoned for around 8 years. Falling apart and the ghost house, it was certainly not a home many wanted anymore. Some, however, did like to explore the rumored haunted estate. Most would end up spooked and run out of the house, but the exploration cost one man his life. 

Keith Habersberger, a young man in his mid 20’s, was a local up-and-coming comedian, with a beautiful fiance and a bright future. However, that ended when he decided to explore the old worn-down house. 

Not much about the events of the night are known, but police suspect that he got into the house around midnight, as his fiance told them that he had left around 11 PM. She knew that he would be there all night, as he was determined to stay the night in the haunted house, so she went to bed and didn’t worry about it. Until he didn’t come home. She tried calling him multiple times, but there was no answer. She began to worry when noon rolled around and he still hadn’t returned. She called the police, stating her fears that something had happened to him. 

When the police entered the house, they found that she had been right. Right in the front hall, under the banister, lay Keith, dead. They investigated the scene and determined that he had fallen from the banister, tripping from a broken floorboard, and had immediately broken his neck. They suspected he’d been dead for nearly 10 hours, placing the death around 2 AM. 

The house was closed, and no one was allowed to step foot onto the property after that incident. 

 

Keith can be seen wandering the halls, known by his more modern clothing, or else his height. At night, people have seen light coming from a flashlight, and upon police inspection, there would be no sign of anyone there. If anyone steps near the top of the banister where Keith fell to his death, they will suddenly get a chill, and some have even reported being pushed in the other direction, as if Keith was warning them not to get too close to it. 


	13. Memories

This day of filming was relaxed, and Shane didn’t even need to be there. But of course, since the house was basically his second home and Ryan would be there, he showed up anyways. 

Ryan greeted him with a shy smile as he walked up to them from his car. TJ was sitting by the camera, checking it every once in a while, while Ryan stood there, bored. 

“Hey, Shane,” TJ said as Shane silently questioned whether or not he could talk. 

“Hey guys, whatcha doin today?” Shane stood beside Ryan. 

“We just wanted a shot of the house going throughout the day so that we can fast forward and loop it, showing the time passing. We’ve been here since 4 AM,” Ryan said, sounding exhausted. 

“Oh, you didn’t tell me that you had to be here so early,” Shane murmured, feeling guilty. “I wouldn’t have kept you out so late.” 

“No, it’s fine. I had a good time; made this suffering worth it.” Ryan said quickly. 

TJ glanced between the two of them, looking back to the camera with a knowing look. 

“Well… I hate to take you away from your work, but if this is all you’re doing…” Shane began. 

Ryan looked up, his interest peaked. 

“I could take you next door and show you the museum. There’s also a coffee machine.” Shane finished. 

“You had me at coffee,” Ryan said. “Teej, you want some coffee?” 

TJ shook his head, “Nah, I’m fine. Have fun on your date, you two.” He looked back at them with a small grin on his face. 

Ryan blushed, and Shane couldn’t help but laugh. Boldly, he reached his hand over and laced his fingers with Ryan’s, which only made Ryan blush deeper. It was cute. 

“Okay, see you later, lets go, big guy,” Ryan hurried, pulling Shane behind him. 

“Ry, it’s the other way,” Shane pointed out. 

Ryan turned around, hiding his face with his free hand, and marched towards the next house. Shane let himself be dragged behind him, giving a cheerful salute to TJ as he laughed. Once they were in the other yard, Ryan slowed and let Shane match pace with him. 

“It’s uh… been a while since I’ve been in a relationship, honestly, and… TJ might have heard a lot about you in the car rides home… He hasn’t let me live it down.” Ryan looked up at Shane, his face still flushed. 

“It’s adorable,” Shane said, a grin plastered on his face. “And if it makes you feel better, I’ve had the whole ghost crew on my ass since you walked in the door.” 

Ryan giggled. He ended up walking in time with Shane, their shoulders brushing. Well, Ryan’s shoulder to Shane’s bicep, since Shane was half a foot taller than Ryan. 

They stepped into the house, significantly smaller than the Honeybee House, but cozy in a way. When they walked in, a young woman shouted a greeting to Shane. 

“Heeyyyy! It’s been a while since you’ve come to visit me, Shane,” the girl said, wagging her finger at him in reprimand. 

“I bought a coffee maker for my apartment, so I just started making it at home…” SHane said sheepishly. “Sorry, Kelsey.”

Kelsey looked over at Ryan, shaking her head. “Can’t believe this. Anyways, who’s your friend, huh?” She looked over Ryan, her eyes a little hungry. “He’s cute…” 

Shane couldn’t help the twinge of annoyance in his stomach. He draped his arm over Ryan’s shoulder, “This is my boyfriend, Ryan.” 

Ryan’s faced flushed yet again as Kelsey laughed aloud, clapping her hands. 

“You finally got one! And here I thought that I may still have a chance,” Kelsey joked. 

Shane rolled his eyes, “Ryan is a filmmaker, and we’ve been making a short film about Andrew and Steven.” He remembered that he hadn’t introduced her yet. “Oh, Ry, this is Kelsey. She’s been here for… Three years?” 

“Nearly four now,” Kelsey said, her face dropping into a look of annoyance. “Cause greeting people and walking them through old furniture and random shit is my passion.” 

“She likes it more than she lets on,” Shane said. “Otherwise she would’ve left and done something else.” 

“Well I haven’t been fired for maybe being a little tipsy on the job on occasion,” Kelsey grinned wickedly. “And free coffee.” 

“Well, you can stay there and drink your spiked coffee, I’m gonna show Ryan around.” Shane said, starting to lead him away. 

“Fine, fine. See ya later, Stick Legs.” Kelsey waved them off, sinking back into her chair. 

“She’s charming,” Ryan said with a grin.

“She’s a lot, but she’s nice for your confidence. Most of the time.” Shane said, matching his smile. “Anyways, let’s get some coffee and then I can walk you around.”

They waited for their coffee to brew, poured it into little disposable cups, and went on their merry way. 

“So the setup is pretty simple,” Shane explained as they walked out of the little office. “It starts with when the house was built here, and then as you go further into the house, you go further into the years, and it leads out into the backyard, where they play Keith’s video on loop in the shed. That way you can bypass it completely if you want.” 

Ryan nodded, looking into the room they were heading to. 

An antique tea set, a faded old cat collar, and a pair of old gloves were the first thing you saw upon entering, on display on a podium in the center of the room. A plaque read “Andrew Ilnyckyj’s possessions.” Ryan went straight to them, his eyes feasting on them. 

“Holy shit it’s really his stuff. He wore those gloves! He carried that tea set!” 

Shane couldn’t help but smile at Ryan’s enthusiasm. He turned and looked at some of the other things on display, soon joined by his partner. Ryan’s eyes widened at the bloodstained shirt hanging on the wall. 

“That’s…”

“Yeah.” Shane said quietly. 

There was a portrait of Steven, and several old photos of all three of them. There was a photo of Adam holding a sheet of honey above a small beehouse. Another was Andrew with his sleeves rolled up, painting the sign that now hung beside the front door of the Honeybee House. 

“Wow…” Ryan said in awe as he stared at the photos. “These are the people you see every day. You see them like they were a hundred years ago… That’s amazing.” 

“Yeah… I usually don’t think about it anymore but there’s still moments.” 

 

They slowly wandered around, looking at the things that the spirits had enjoyed in life, or that had cut their lives short. Ryan nearly refused to go into the room with the knife that had killed Zach and Eugene and Sara and Helen and Brent, and even then, he was looking at nearly everything else but the knife. Eventually, they found their way to the backyard, and Shane looked at Ryan, a silent question or whether or not he wanted to watch the video. Ryan nodded, and they entered the tiny room. 

The projection was black, in between loops. After a moment of silence, it started with a crackle of the camera shifting. 

“So, I thought I saw something over in the hallway, it looked like a figure, but I don’t know, could’ve just been my eyes playing tricks on me.” Keith’s voice came over the speaker as the camera looked around the room once more before going out the bedroom door. 

Keith was walking down the hallway, and heading towards the bannister. Ryan grabbed Shane’s arm instinctively, preparing himself for what would happen next. 

“It’s been like twenty years since anyone’s lived here, but it does have this weird feeling that doesn’t make it seem like it. I definitely don’t feel like I’m alone, and it’s definitely creeping me out a little bit…” Keith said, looking the camera around the area. 

He faced the camera away from the bannister, back to the hallway.

“Don’t walk backwards right there…” Ryan murmured as the camera kept moving backwards, as if he could save Keith. 

There was a crack from the floorboard, and the camera flew upwards as Keith shouted. It was cut off by a loud, sickening thud. Then there was dead silence, and the camera stilled on the front door, and all that was seen was one of Keith’s feet at an awful angle. After a moment, it began fast forwarding, stopping to the original speed after a minute. Ryan gasped as a tall figure appeared. It was undeniably Keith, and as he knelt and reached for the camera, he disappeared. A moment later, the camera turned off. Then the black screen was back, signaling the end. 

Shane gently nudged Ryan’s arm, waking him up from a trance. Ryan shuffled behind him and as they walked out into the sunlight, he seemed like he really was stepping out of a dream. 

“You okay?” Shane asked, knowing it was a lot for someone to take in. 

Ryan nodded slowly, turning to look at Shane. 

“You know, Becky is actually coming over tonight for another session. You could join us if you want, I’ll ask her if she’s okay with it,” Shane offered. 

Ryan looked torn. “Are you sure she wouldn’t mind?” 

“I mean worse case scenario, she politely asks if she can be alone. She’s nice, and while she usually doesn’t really want just anyone there, I know she likes you.” 

“Then yeah, I’d love to.” 

 

TJ was still filming the front of the house for the time lapse when Becky arrived, so they went through the garden to get in. Zach and Eugene waved as they walked past. 

“Zach and Eugene say hi, Becky,” Shane said. 

Becky waved back at their direction before they walked into the house. Keith’s feet stamped down the stairs as they walked in, and even Becky and Ryan heard it. 

“Was that Keith?” Becky asked, her eyes lighting up. 

Shane nodded, “Yeah, wanna go in the parlour?” 

Becky nodded and followed him into the room. Ryan trailed along awkwardly, and they all sat on the couch, with Shane sitting in between them. Keith sat in one of the chairs across the coffee table. 

Shane pointed at the chair where Keith was sitting, “That’s where Keith is.” 

“Hi, babe. How’s it going?” Becky said, smiling in Keith’s direction, looking at the chair as if she’d be able to see him if she just looked hard enough. 

“Still dead. Don’t tell her I said that. I’m doing good, same old same old,” Keith said, staring fondly at Becky. 

“He says he’s doing good, same old, same old,” Shane repeated to Becky. 

“Has it been exciting with them doing filming here?” Becky asked, glancing over at Ryan momentarily. 

Keith perked up. “God yes, it’s so cool to see them acting and stuff and it’s making Steven and Andrew super happy. Plus you know, Shane finally listened to us and look, he has a cute boyfriend, so obviously we are the best matchmakers.” 

“He says that it’s cool to watch us film and that it makes Steven and Andrew happy. And he needs to stop rubbing it in my face that they pestered me about Ryan enough that somehow Ryan agreed to go out with me.” 

Becky and Ryan both laughed at that, and Keith looked a little proud of himself. 

“Well, not much has gone on for me since we last talked, although I do have a story with this old lady at the grocery store…” Becky began. 

  
  


Ryan stayed quiet throughout most of it, although he’d make an occasional joke or comment. He mainly just listened to the interactions, and watched them. When the session was over, Ryan went over to talk to Becky on the porch, now that TJ was done filming for the night. 

“Hey, I don’t want to seem intrusive but I can’t help but wonder… How do you do it?” Ryan asked. 

“Handle being an almost widow who talks to her dead fiance using a ghost seer?” Becky asked, a small smile on her face. 

“Well, I wasn’t gonna phrase it like that but… yeah.” 

“Well… Nothing stops it from hurting. This is almost therapeutic, because then I can at least talk to him. Even if I can’t see him.” 

“Why not… move on? Sorry if that’s kinda…” Ryan said sheepishly. 

Becky smiled sadly. “He’s told me to many times, and I’ve tried. But in the end, just… nothing compares. I’m chasing lost feelings, but I can’t do anything about it.” She was quiet for a moment, leaning on the railing and looking out into the sky over the trees. “He was the love of my life. I can’t forget the dreams that we had together, the plans we had made. We’d been planning a wedding. Instead, I had to attend a funeral. The what-ifs are all I can think about sometimes.” She looked into Ryan’s eyes. “Don’t take anything for granted. Because it can all be taken away, in a single second.” 

Ryan felt a chill run through his whole body as she looked away. 

“You treat Shane good, okay? I’ll see you around, I’m sure.” Becky said as she walked down the steps and to her car. 

Ryan was still standing there, staring after where she’d driven off, when Shane walked out. 

“Hey, I thought you’d gone home already,” Shane said as he stood next to him. 

Ryan shook his head as they stood there in silence, looking out from the porch. 

“Not yet. I just need a little more time.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey, sorry it took a little longer to get this chapter up! it’s been a busy few weeks for me, I was in the process of finding a new job and i’m currently in a show that we’ve been at rehearsal at most nights (which is when i usually get my writing time in)   
> i'm starting a new job and signing up for classes in a third attempt at college tomorrow, so just be patient with me in the coming weeks please! there's still plenty more to come!


	14. 2011: A New Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what no i'm not referencing star wars no never

**2011**

 

Quinta Brunson purchased the home, not believing the ghost stories. She planned on making the manor grand again, but as she began attempting major changes, she would find that many spirits were very upset. Setback after setback, and she finally stopped trying to make it into her dream home. However, she did get another idea. People would come up to her door, asking if they could see inside, and whenever her house was mentioned, there would be requests to open it to the public.

So in October of 2011, the infamous Honeybee House was officially opened to the public, daily tours by young students who were fascinated with the history. It ended up being a huge hit, and Quinta decided to keep it open year-round.

Visitors come from all over to see the house and its residents, including various paranormal researchers.

Tours are held by a rotation of people, but one guide in particular is a favorite. Once a skeptic, Shane Madej began giving tours as a part time job while he was taking classes, as he was a history major, and found it interesting. He soon found that he could see what others could not, the residents of the house! It is believed that he may be a strong psychic, and he is highly coveted for tours. He works full time at the tour service now, but reservations may be in order to guarantee that he leads you through, and he may be able to tell you things straight from the spirits themselves….


	15. Movie Night

The next day came and went all too fast. No one said anything about the new way that Shane and Ryan interacted, but TJ and Safiya exchanged glances whenever they were together. They had filmed Steven’s death and some ending shots of the house, but they were done by 5 o’clock. 

“Hey, Shane! I was wondering if you maybe wanted to come over and watch a movie?” Ryan asked, looking nervous, as though they weren’t already dating. 

Shane smiled and accepted, putting his arm around Ryan. “You’re so cute, you know that?” 

Oh how Shane loved to make Ryan flustered. He could certainly get used to this.

“So is that a yes…?” Ryan asked slowly. 

Shane smiled, “Yeah, what are we gonna be watching?” 

“I just got the DVD for The Force Awakens?” Ryan suggested. 

Shane’s eyes lit up, “My boy Poe Dameron!” 

Ryan giggled, “That’s a yes, I’m guessing?” 

“Hell yeah! Want me to meet you there or…?” 

“I can drive if you want, we’ll be meeting back here tomorrow anyways,” Ryan offered. 

Shane quirked an eyebrow up, “Oh, so am I spending the night?” 

Ryan immediately turned into a stammering mess, apparently not having thought about the connotation. Shane laughed, throwing his arm around him. 

“It’s fine; if you’re offering, I’d love to.” 

“O-okay… uh, we can go now then, if you want.”

Shane followed Ryan to his car, getting in the passenger’s side and having to adjust the seat for his long legs. 

“Sorry, Jen was the last person in my car, and she’s tiny,” Ryan said sheepishly as Shane unsquished himself. 

“Yeah, no kidding. But also, I just have abnormally long legs. I’m like 70% leg,” Shane joked. 

Ryan laughed, throwing a couple glances at Shane while he pulled out of the long driveway. 

 

Watching the movie was a great time, even though they missed most of the dialogue because they couldn’t stop talking about it. The credits began rolling and they looked up from their fantasies of being Jedi, realizing they’d missed all of it. It was fine. They just kept talking, Ryan snuggling up to Shane, with his head on his chest. Shane played with his fingers as they wound them together. 

“So what made you want to produce movies?” Shane asked, looking down at Ryan’s hair.

Ryan thought for a moment. “Well, I’ve loved watching movies since I was a kid. Me and my dad would always watch like Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and he was big on keeping me cultured with the classics. At some point, I started learning more about the stuff that happens behind the scenes, and it fascinated me. I actually,” he laughed, “I actually used to vlog before vlogging was a thing. I got a camera from my parents one Christmas, and I would take it out and film myself doing things, and other people. Sometimes I would take stuffed animals or action figures I had and make stories up with them.” 

“Please tell me that you still have that footage somewhere,” Shane begged. 

Ryan giggled, “I have no idea, I have long since lost that camera. Plus, I probably burned any trace of it that I found in middle school. Or high school. I don’t remember when I stopped doing that, actually… Anyways… What about you? What made you want to be a tour guide for a haunted house?” 

“Well, it wasn’t like my life goal or anything. I just was in college and I was a History major so I found the long history of the house interesting… plus I’m a little morbid and thought the trail of death and murder was interesting. So I applied for the Halloween tours, thinking “hey, why not get some pocket money so I don’t have to eat ramen all the time?” So… I did it, and I saw Sara. I just couldn’t bring myself to leave after that, and so I ended up becoming part of the attraction of the house. But… It’s fun, and I get to tell their stories in a way that no one else can.” 

“Do you think you’ll be there forever? Like 75, still giving tours?” Ryan asked, half-joking. 

Shane shrugged, “I guess I haven’t really thought about it, but I’ve never had a want to leave… I think somewhere in my mind, I just assume I’m gonna end up one of the ghosts one day.” 

“That’s real dedication.” 

“Thanks.” 

“Shane?” 

“Yeah?”

“I really like you.” 

Shane smiled, wrapping his arm tighter around Ryan. “I really like you too.” 

“That means you can’t die on me, okay? No freak accidents or falling off of bannisters in haunted houses…” 

Shane smiled, letting out a breath of laughter. “Okay, okay, I promise.” 

“Good. You wanna order a pizza?” 

“Yeah.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god, i'm sorry this is so short and after such a long time since my last update. i had a show i was in that took up most of the time i had to write, and then since it had been a while, i hit a wall. so this was meant to be a bit of a filler chapter with some cute shyan moments, but i wanted it to be better for y'all, but at this point i think i needed to just get it out and out of the way so i can continue with the story. thank you guys for being patient with me <3


	16. Film Festival

It was bittersweet when TJ shut off his camera at the end of the day with a happy declaration, “I think that’s it. I think we’re done!”

Ryan beamed, “That’s a wrap!” He clapped TJ on the back before turning to Shane.

“That was a lot of fun,” Shane admitted. “I didn’t realize I would enjoy acting that much, so, uh… Thanks.”

“What the hell, dude,” Ryan said incredulously, “I should be thanking you! I couldn’t have asked for a better co-star, plus you let us use the house and stuff. So thank you so much for agreeing to this whole crazy thing… I had a lot of fun.”

Shane nodded agreement while Ryan thought for a moment, looking a little anxious.

“Will… Will we still, uh… see each other?” Ryan bit his lip as he looked at Shane nervously.

“Yeah, of course,” Shane said with a smile, “You’re a pretty cool guy, Ryan, I’d hate to lose you now.”

Ryan let out a laugh of relief, “Cool, I just wanted to make sure. And I feel the same way about you.”

“Listen,” TJ interrupted as he walked up to them carrying his camera bag. “I hate to interrupt a sappy moment, but I’m starving, and I have to take Ryan home before I can go home and eat, so the sooner we leave…”

Ryan laughed, “Okay, okay, I’m coming.” TJ walked to his van and Ryan looked up at Shane.

“So I guess this is goodbye for now,” Shane murmured.

“Yeah, for now…”

Shane leaned down and hugged Ryan, feeling the latter man’s arms reach up his back. After a moment, they pulled away and Ryan started walking towards the van.

“See ya later, alligator!” Shane yelled out to him with a grin.

Ryan turned and returned the grin, “After a while, crocodile!”

Shane went back into the house as the van pulled away, shutting the door behind him and preparing for the onslaught that was about to come.

As he expected, as soon as he turned around, he was faced with the house’s full history. Even Brent was leaning against the wall to hear the news.

“So, it’s been, what, like two days since you’ve talked to us?” Sara said, a little accusatory. “Seems like a lot has certainly happened…”

“To be honest, I can’t believe she hasn’t tackled you at any given time to get information out of you,” Zach said. “She’s been going crazy since, ya know, the last time you told us anything was before your sushi date. Like, I’m assuming it went well…”

Shane looked at the floor sheepishly, “Yeah, I know, I’m sorry. We just got busy and me and Ryan were hanging out and stuff, I just didn’t have the time to come sit in the house like I normally do.”

“It’s a welcome change, honestly, we finally got a break from your mug…” Eugene quipped before laughing. “I’m kidding, obviously. But seriously, you gotta fill us in.”

“Well,” Shane started. “The sushi date went really well… I drove him home after and… we… kinda made out in my car in front of his apartment…”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP.” Sara grabbed Helen and shook her.

“Sara, calm down,” Helen scolded. “That’s awesome, Shane, so it went super well!”

“Did it get… intimate?” Zach waggled his eyebrows, making Eugene burst into laughter.

“Zach…” Andrew said reproachfully.

“Oh, come on, Andrew, you gotta be curious about it too!” Keith exclaimed.

“Well, it wasn’t that long, actually…” Shane started burning just remembering it. “He, uh… started kissing my neck but then he hit the car horn.”

Eugene and Zach gasped before laughing themselves to tears. Sara and Helen were giggling, and even Andrew couldn’t help but laugh.

“That is certainly… unfortunate,” Andrew said with a grin.

“But, uh, anyways, I showed him the museum next door and showed him all your stuff and he thought it was cool and we watched a movie last night and talked about how we got to where we are now and then we fell asleep on the couch. And that’s all that’s happened,” Shane finished.

“Well, we’re super proud of you, honey,” Ariel said, walking over to Shane and putting her hand on his back. “And we’re all glad you found someone who makes you happy.”

Shane smiled shyly, “Thanks, Ariel.”

Everyone in the group cheered their agreement, and Shane looked around at them, his heart feeling lighter than ever before.

 

Shane had never been to a film festival, so he didn’t know what to expect. But, one thing he did anticipate was the alluring smell of popcorn in the air. As he stepped out of his car, it was the first thing on his mind. Well, maybe other than finding Ryan. He quickly shot him a text.

Ryan had invited him, as they were premiering their film there, and Shane was excited to see the finished version.

He wandered around the booths for a while, meandering through the crowd of people and glancing at merchandise on tables. He had just stopped to look at a table selling a bunch of old movies when he felt his phone buzz. He took it out to see that Ryan had responded, saying he was over by the food stands.

Shane made his way over, spotting Ryan in the crowd with TJ and Safiya. He bumped into a few people on the way over, making sure to say sorry. Ryan smiled when he saw Shane wiggling through the crowd to them.

“Hey!” Shane said as he reached them.

“What’s up?” TJ stated more than asked.

“How are you doing?” Safiya asked with a smile.

“I’m good, you?”

“Pretty good. I’m excited to see the product of all that work!” Saf exclaimed excitedly. “I invited my boyfriend, he’ll be here soon.”

“Hey, what a coincidence, so did I!” Ryan joked, smiling up at Shane.

“Holy cow, can’t wait to meet him, Ry! I bet he’s all tall and handsome…” Shane quipped back.

“Yeah, he’s a giant but he’s pretty cute,” Ryan laughed.

“Ugh, gross. And Tyler is gonna be here and be gross with Saf. I’m just gonna be a fifth wheel…” TJ groaned, earning a laugh from everyone.

“Don’t worry, buddy, you’ll find someone someday,” Ryan giggled.

TJ rolled his eyes, walking away from the group without a word. Safiya got a text as they called after him, walking in the other direction a moment later.

“Tyler is here, I’ll see you guys at the show later! I think ours is in an hour, right?” she asked as she stopped.

“Yeah, see you then,” Ryan nodded. He turned back to Shane. “So, wanna get some popcorn?”

“Hell yeah.”

 

An hour later, they had already eaten three different types of popcorn, and were settling in the grass next to TJ, Safiya, and who could only be her boyfriend.

“Hey guys, this is my boyfriend, Tyler,” Safiya introduced as they sat.

Ryan reached over Saf and shook his hand, “Hey, I’m Ryan.”

Shane simply gave him a small wave. “Shane. It’s a little far to reach, but hi.”

“Nice to meet you, Saf has been talking about you guys all the time. All good things, I promise,” Tyler laughed.

“Yeah, it better have been,” Ryan jested.

“Shh,” Safiya hushed, “I think it’s about to start.”

The large projector had turned on, and the host announced, “This one is a short film by Ryan Bergara and TJ Marchbank, titled ‘The Journal’, set in the infamous Honeybee House, starring the Ghost Whisperer, Shane Madej. It’s a historical recreation of the first owners of the house and their forbidden romance, shot in only a single week. Enjoy the film!”

As the film started playing, opening with the shot of Ryan, or Steven, writing in the journal, Ryan squeezed Shane’s hand in excitement and nervousness. Shane squeezed back, shooting him a glance and a smile before turning back to watch their work.

It was weird for Shane to see himself on screen, and seeing it only made him think about how absolutely smitten he looked. He understood TJ and Safiya’s reactions now, because seeing himself and Ryan from another point of view made it very obvious. He looked over and Ryan may have been thinking the same thing, because he met Shane’s glance and blushed before looking back at the screen.

The scenes passed much quicker than Shane thought, but Ryan had said that it had ended up being only 23 minutes long. Shane almost laughed out loud when, during the fight scene, he heard audible gasps when he got stabbed. It had turned out better than he thought, and as he watched himself die, he listened and looked around for people’s reactions. Safiya was crying, as were some others sitting around them. Ryan seemed laser focused on the screen.

When the camera panned up on Steven writing his will, a girl behind Shane began muttering “no, no, no, no” over and over. When it showed Andrew shouting frantically behind an unknowing Steven, she gasped loudly, and Shane had to catch himself from laughing. He heard her sobbing a few moments later as Steven died.

When the last shot of the house faded to the “The End”, the cheers started immediately. People started standing and clapping, a few people around them noticed that it was them sitting there, and started clapping at them. They all stood too, and Shane started jokingly bowing to the people clapping at them, including the girl sitting behind them.

 

It took another hour before Ryan and Shane were able to get out of the crowd; a bunch of people had come over to them after it was over and praised them and asked questions. Shane was exhausted after talking to so many people, and even Ryan seemed tired.

“You want me to take you home?” Shane offered.

“Yeah, if you can. TJ will appreciate one less stop.” Ryan accepted.

They walked to Shane’s car and got in without a word. Shane let himself rest for a moment against the headrest before starting his car.

“That sure was something,” Shane said.

“But you liked it, right?” Ryan asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

“Oh, yeah, of course!” Shane confirmed. “It was awesome, and the film turned out great! Just… all the people after was a little much, I wasn’t expecting it. Even that was still fun… Just tiring.”

“Okay, good… I was worried you thought it was awful or something…” Ryan said sheepishly.

Shane looked over at Ryan with a raised eyebrow, “Come on, Ry, of course I wouldn’t think that.”

Ryan simply smiled in response.

The rest of the drive was quiet, as they were both tired of talking at that point. Ryan stared out the window, seeming very content.

As Shane pulled in front of Ryan’s apartment, he looked at Ryan.

“Hey, thanks for inviting me, I really had a lot of fun.”

Ryan smiled, “Thanks for coming, and for driving me home. I’ll see you around?”

“I’ll text you,” Shane said as Ryan leaned in. Shane pecked him on the lips, and Ryan blushed as he got out of the car.

Ryan gave him a little wave before he went inside, and Shane returned it, waiting for the door to close before he drove out.

The future seemed promising. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's one last happy chapter before I ruin everyone's lives :)


	17. Cold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry.

“Are you _sure_ you don’t want to come?” Ryan asked, poking his boyfriend in the stomach, a sneak attack under the covers of their shared bed.

Shane chuckled, batting his hand away. “Yes, you leave at nine in the morning, I can’t just get a ticket now. Plus, we still have a couple of tours to finish out tomorrow. And besides, who else would keep the ghosts company over the holidays?”

Ryan pouted, “Mom’s gonna bug me for not bringing you along. I mean, last Christmas was great, and she’ll probably be a little passive aggressive that you aren’t here.”

“Sorry,” Shane said, ruffling Ryan’s hair a little. “We had more people reserve tours this year right before we closed. You know they’ll be upset if they paid for one of my tours and have someone else doing them cause I’m not there.”

“Ugh, fine. Yeah, I get it… I’m just gonna miss you,” Ryan admitted. “It’ll be the first Christmas since we started dating we won’t be spending together. We had a three-year streak!”

Shane pecked his lips on Ryan’s forehead, smiling softly at him. He could just barely see Ryan’s pout in the dark, the moonlight coming in through the window softly illuminating behind him. He would never get over how beautiful he was. Ryan’s pout let up to his own soft smile.

“You know, that’s not fair. I can’t be mad at you if you are being so cute,” Ryan said, scooting a little closer to him.

“Exactly, now I win.” Shane wrapped his arms around Ryan, who quickly found his way into the crook of Shane’s neck. “Besides, there’s gonna be more Christmases. So you just enjoy your Christmas with your family, and I’ll be here when you get back.”

“I’ll be back for New Year’s, so we’ll at least have that. And I’ll save your Christmas present for then too. It’s special...” Ryan said softly.

Shane pressed one more kiss into Ryan’s hair. “Go to sleep, we have to get up early to get you on your flight.”

“I love you,” Ryan said.

“Love ya too, Ry,” Shane whispered.

 

It was nearly 5 o'clock by the time Shane had finished the tours. He was the last guide still there, as everyone else had gone to see their families and friends for the holidays. Quinta, the owner of the house/his manager, had come to see the house before it closed.

“How was it today?” she asked, not taking her jacket off, just sitting on one of the benches in the lobby.

“It was fine, the tours went well and they were excited to see it.” Shane responded simply.

Quinta nodded, looking around. “Is anyone in here right now?”

Shane looked over at Adam, who was wandering past them. “Adam is walking to the parlour.”

Quinta looked in the direction he was gesturing, squinting to try and see. “I’ll never get over that, it’s just so cool.”

Shane nodded. He honestly didn’t talk to her much, and even though she was a foot smaller than him, he was a little intimidated by her. In a very respectful way. Respected and feared her.

“Hey, I need some of the house’s documentation for this form, do you know where we put them? I’m pretty sure they got moved to the attic, right?” Quinta asked.

Shane thought for a moment, “Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s where they’d be. Do you want me to get them?”

“I have to catch a flight in just a bit, so I won’t be able to do anything with them right now. If you just bring them down and put them under the counter next door, I can get them when I get back.” Quinta said, standing up.

Shane nodded, saluting. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Thank you, I appreciate it. Have a great Christmas!” Quinta said as she opened the front door.

“No problem, you too!” Shane said after her.

The door closed and Shane was left alone. For approximately two seconds before Sara popped up behind him.

“Boo!” she shouted, grabbing his shoulders.

“Sorry, Sara, you’ll have to do better than that to scare me.” Shane said, shaking his head at her as he turned around.

“Dang it…”

“Ah well, Merry Christma- wait, no, sorry, Happy Hanukkah.” Shane corrected himself.

“I don’t think Hanukkah starts until the 22nd this year. But whatever, time is an illusion at this point, so thanks.” Sara said, shrugging.

“Ah… I honestly have no idea… Well, I’ll be right back, I gotta get some documents from the attic for Quinta.” Shane said, heading for the stairs.

Sara followed him, and as he put the ladder under the trap door in the ceiling, she froze.

“Shane.” Her voice was the most serious Shane had ever heard. “Something is wrong.”

Shane looked at her quizzically for a moment. “It’ll be fine, I’ll be right back down.”

He opened the trap door after a moment of pushing the heavy thing and put the pole up so it stayed open. He climbed up and started to look as he walked away from the door.

“Shane!” Sara yelped, making Shane turn around.

Just in time to see the pole slip. To watch the door slam shut. To realize he all but just sealed his fate.

Shane stood there for a moment, the weight of it sinking in. “Fuck… shit… SHIT… SHIT!”

He ran to the door, trying to pry it open. He couldn’t reach into it to even be able to grip it. He looked around for something that could reach into it. Other than some papers, there was a stray ruler. He put it in the slit, and as he pulled back onto it, it snapped to two, not even budging the door. Sara kept appearing through it, then going back down, trying to push it up. She just went through it, seeming more and more transparent each time.

His phone. He could call someone to let him out. He reached in his pocket. To find nothing. He had left his phone, his keys, everything remotely useful in his jacket pockets. Which he’d left downstairs.

No one would be there for at least three days. There were no heaters in the attic, and it was going to be the coldest week in a while. Shane staggered towards the broken window, breaking off a shard. He went back to door and tried to use it as leverage. It shattered in his hands, and he stared blankly at the blood now dripping from his hands.

“Shane…”

He looked up to Sara’s voice, finding that he couldn’t see her.

“Sara? Where are you?” he asked, his voice breaking.

“I’m right here…”

She sounded distant, yet he knew that she must be right in front of him.

“Why can’t I see you? I can barely even hear you…” Shane gasped, his eyes starting to sting. “This is what happened… Whenever someone died… You guys couldn’t say or do anything… I’m going to die…”

He could hear a breath, but even that was barely audible. He crawled over to the corner of the room, under the window, not caring about his wounded hands leaving bloody handprints on the floor.

He’d never cared about dying. He’d never worried about it, he’d even joke about it. But here, realizing what this meant… He realized he didn’t want to die. He wanted to stay here, live out the rest of his days with Ryan. He’d even thought about asking Ryan to marry him before. But he didn’t. He thought he’d have more time. He was the happiest he’d ever been. And it was going to end like this.

He ran his hand through his hair, curling up into a ball. He started pulling his hair as he hid his face in his arms, trying to wake himself up, as if it was a dream. As if he’d wake up back in their apartment, holding Ryan.

He didn’t want to leave Ryan. Ryan would try to find his spirit, unable to see him. A memory flashed before Shane’s eyes. The first time he met Ryan. What Sara said.

_“I can see it now, a romantic tragedy in a haunted house, of two young men who fall in love in the house, but are separated through death. Oh man, if your character can see ghosts like you can, it would be even more tragic if he was the one that died. Like, if Ryan’s character died, then at least you could still see him and talk to him and stuff, but if you died, he wouldn’t be able to see you. Ah, a tragedy…”_

Shane could almost laugh. If only it wasn’t what was going to happen.

Shane grabbed the window ledge, pulling himself up to see outside. The empty gravel parking lot. The field beyond, with a line of trees going off into the distance. When he leaned against the side of the window, he could sort of see the porch of the Honeybee Museum. The lights were all off. It was a ten minute drive to the town. No one came over here unless they were meant to be here. And no one was.

He watched the sun sink behind the trees, already feeling the temperature dropping. As he stared at the nearly full moon, he felt his hands begin to throb. They burned as the shock wore off and the pain of glass in his hand started setting in. He sat back against the wall, staring at his hands. He used the moonlight to see as he began picking glass bits out of his palms and fingers.

He stared at the attic, feeling the presence of the others, but not able to see them in the moonlight. He just felt so tired. He closed his eyes.

 

He woke up shivering. He grabbed the ends of his flannel and pulled them tighter. Wind had blown in snow through the window. Some had gotten on him, and he realized that his shoulder was damp from it. His hands felt like they were burning. He scooped some of the snow from the windowsill and held it, welcoming the numbness in his fingers.

His stomach growled. He hadn’t eaten since he dropped Ryan off the day before. He wondered what would kill him first, the cold or the starvation. He wondered if it would even be worth it to try to wait it out. Maybe he should just jump out the window. If he didn’t die, he could get to his car. He tried to stand, only to find that he couldn’t push himself up. He was already too weak. He wondered if he’d gotten a blood infection, and if that would kill him.

He wondered if this was fate. That fate itself deemed the ghosts unable to help him or even be with him.

He must have dozed off, because it was dark when he opened his eyes. He felt awful. His head felt like it was being split in half, and he knew he had to be running a fever. He felt like his heart was going twice the speed as normal, and his chest was tight. If he’d had anything in his system, he would’ve puked it out. He begged to just die quickly.

 

He woke up, his head feeling better, but the fever still running. He felt so weak. He judged by the light that it was midday, maybe even past. He wondered how long he’d slept. He wondered if it mattered. He wished he could tell Ryan that he was sorry.

He didn’t remember dozing off again, but when he woke up, he saw them. All of them. Clearer than he’d ever seen.

“I’m not going to live through the night… am I?” he croaked, his throat scratchy and dry.

No one said anything. Zach was crying, and Sara had a tight lipped frown on her face, her eyes closed. Everyone was solemn and sad. Andrew was crouched over a small box, concentrating hard. He hit the box as hard as he could, and it actually connected. He gasped in shock, and everyone’s eyes widened as the box hit the wall next to Shane. He turned his head and looked inside. There were a bunch of blank papers, and two pens. His mouth parted softly. He looked up at Andrew.

“I would’ve wanted to be able to tell Steven my last words.” Andrew said softly as he kneeled beside Shane.

Shane lifted his arm, willing himself the strength to pick up the pen and paper. He started writing.

“Ryan,

I’m sorry. I said I would be here when you got back. It was an accident. I don’t want to leave you. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. I thought there would be time. It’s Christmas Eve, isn’t it? I’m sorry. I hope this doesn’t ruin it for you. I know you love it. I’ll miss you. I love you.”

Shane felt his energy fading. He wrote his name at the bottom, barely able to finish the ‘e’ before his hand dropped, the pen making a line across the rest of the paper as it rolled out of his hand. His head dropped back against the wall. He was just too exhausted. Surprisingly, he felt… calm. He looked around, his gaze passing from one to the other as he looked at his friends. His gaze found its way to the ceiling. He closed his eyes.

He didn’t wake up.


	18. Empty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you guys were so upset at me for that last chapter, i have no idea why ;3333ccc ah well, i thought you may want another chapter to fill you with sunshine and rainbows after that

Quinta sighed as she pulled into the nearly empty parking lot. She didn’t even cast a second glance at the other car, knowing it was Shane’s. She had expected him to still be there over the holidays. She walked over to the Museum, unlocking the door and checking under the counter for the documents. They weren’t there. She shrugged, maybe Shane just forgot to put them there. She locked the door behind her as she walked back to the house. The door was unlocked, and she pushed it open, a little surprised not to see him in the lobby like usual. 

“Shane?” she called out loudly. “Did you get those documents from the attic?”

She waited, only to hear an eerie quiet. She glanced around, her gaze falling to Shane’s jacket. It was where he’d left it when she left. Quinta began feeling something bad, and she turned to look back at Shane’s car. Now that she was looking at it, she realized that it was covered in frost and snow. It hadn’t moved for days. 

“Shane??” she questioned louder, her heart beginning to beat faster. She peered in all the rooms in the bottom floor, calling out for him, with no sign of him. 

She walked up the stairs, and down the hall, she saw the ladder standing under the closed trapdoor. As she walked closer, she saw the pole lying on the ground beside it. She picked it up, her stomach churning as the worst possible outcome played in her head. She climbed up the ladder, pushing the door up with a grunt. 

The first thing she noticed was the glass that fell as she opened it, and the bloodstains on the floor. Her eyes tracked the handprints to.... Shane. Slumped against the wall, his hand motionless beside him. There was a high pitched noise. Quinta realized it was her own scream. She quickly climbed back down, running down the stairs to get her phone. She dialed 911, her hands shaking. 

 

Quinta couldn’t stop her hands from shaking as she watched the paramedics take Shane’s body away. His body had been frozen in that position, so he remained sitting up as they wheeled him away. Quinta couldn’t get the image out of her head. 

“I’m sorry ma’am, but I’m afraid that I’ll have to ask you some questions,” a voice from above her said. 

Quinta looked up at the police officer, nodding. 

“So, he works here you say? Do you know why he was up there?” 

Quinta’s voice shook as she answered. “I asked him to get some documents from up there, but I had to catch a flight, so I left. The door has to be held up by the pole, otherwise it’ll slam itself shut, and I’d learned before that it’s impossible to open from in the attic. I found the pole by the ladder, I’m assuming it just fell, and he got stuck.” 

The officer nodded. “Do you know who Ryan is to him?” 

“Ryan? That’s his boyfriend, they’d been dating for… I think like three years now.” 

The officer held out a piece of paper to her. “We found this in his lap. There’s no sign of foul play, no suggestion that this is anything more than an accident. We have pictures of this and samples if we need it as evidence, but I think that this was meant to go to Ryan.” 

Quinta took the paper and scanned over it quickly. She nodded solemnly. 

“I’ll make sure he gets it.” 

 

Ryan looked at his phone for what seemed to be the billionth time since he’d arrived. He hadn’t thought much of it when Shane didn’t text him or call him the first day. He hadn’t worried that much when Shane didn’t respond on the second day. When day three rolled around and Shane hadn’t picked up, his anxiety started picking up. Christmas had barely even distracted him from it. When he got home, he was gonna kick Shane’s ass for making him worry. 

Suddenly, his phone started buzzing, and he jumped. It was TJ. He’d stayed in town, maybe he could check on Shane. 

“Hello?” Ryan asked, trying to keep his voice level. 

“Ryan… I- Well… Something happened… at the Honeybee House…” TJ said, his voice wavering. “I’m sorry, Shane is… He...”

“What? What are you talking about? What happened, is he okay?” Ryan asked, panic setting in quickly. 

“Ryan, he… They found his body trapped in the attic… he’d been there for days, no one knew. Everyone in town is talking about it… I just heard about it.” 

Ryan couldn’t process the words. He heard them, but… they didn’t make sense. “What do you mean? He… he can’t…” 

“He was pronounced dead on the scene… I’m sorry, Ryan. He’s gone.”

Ryan didn’t remember hanging up, but he stared at his phone, trying to understand. Shane couldn’t… be dead. They were going to have so many more holidays together. They were going to spend New Year’s at home, snuggling on the couch as they watched the ball drop. He was going to… 

“Ryan?”

Ryan looked up to see his brother standing in the doorway. He could do nothing but blankly stare at him. 

“Are you okay, bro?” Jake asked nervously, taking a step forward. “What’s wrong?” 

It hit him. 

Shane was gone. 

Ryan’s breaths racked into sobs as he clasped his hand over his mouth. Jake rushed over and sat next to him on the bed, trying to console him. His parents both rushed into the room as well, as Ryan could do nothing but cry out as his whole world crumbled around him. 

He could barely hear the questions from his family, his ears ringing as his chest tightened, his lungs hurting from his hyperventilating. All he could hear was Becky’s warning. 

_ “Don’t take anything for granted. Because it can all be taken away, in a single second.”  _

He saw Shane’s smile in his mind, flashing through every one. The future ones he’d wanted to see. 

“He’s gone…” He choked out. “Shane is… dead…” 

Another sob racked through him, and he felt his mom’s arms squeeze tighter around him. He just kept crying, his eyes stinging and his throat going raw. It seemed like hours had past before he just couldn’t cry anymore. He stared blankly at the wall in front of him, feeling empty.  

“Ryan, baby, I’m so sorry…” his mom said softly, her own voice cracking. 

“I was… When I got back…” Ryan murmured, looking at his nightstand. 

Their gazes followed his to the small box sitting there. Jake hesitantly grabbed it and handed it to Ryan. Ryan stared at it, running his thumb over the velvet. He opened it, and stared at the gold band sitting inside. 

“I was going to ask him to marry me…” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i lied about the sunshine and rainbows, and i'm not even sorry for it


	19. Lost and Found

 

He didn’t hear the priest speak. All he could make out was a low humming sound, like static in his mind. As they lowered the casket into the ground, Ryan felt his knees grow weak. Becky, who was standing beside him, took his hand and squeezed it. He looked up at her blankly. Suddenly, he found himself in her arms, and she started pushing through the crowd to get him out. He followed along blindly, feeling a dizzy lightheadedness. She sat him on a bench near the road, and they could just see the crowd from the distance. She forced a bottle of water into his hands. 

“You haven’t drank any water today, have you?” she asked. 

He shrugged, staring at the bottle. She sighed, putting her hand on one of his. 

“Ryan, I know how it feels,” Becky said softly. “But you have to take care of yourself, just a little bit.”

He slowly took a sip, and realized how parched he really was. He quickly downed half the bottle before gasping for breath. After a moment, he looked back at the crowd. He could recognize some of the people. TJ and Saf were there, looking in his direction. He could see Kelsey, and Shane’s parents. A man was standing next to them, he thinks it’s Shane’s brother, although he never met him. He looked away from the crowd. 

“I wonder how the ghosts are taking it…” Ryan pondered softly. “Although… I guess they will only see him more now.” 

Becky didn’t answer, her lips drawn in a tight line. 

A light bulb went off in Ryan’s head. It was obvious. “He’s still there.” 

Becky nodded slowly, “Yes, he probably is…” 

“I need to talk to him.” 

 

Soon, the two had pulled down the old gravel road to the eerily silent house. Ryan felt like he was being watched as they walked to the front porch. He’d always had the feeling, but now that Shane was gone, it felt stronger. It was almost comforting now. 

He opened the door, and realized that some part of him had still hoped that Shane would be on the other side, ready with a sharp whip and a laugh. All that greeted him was an empty walkway. He looked at the bench in front of him, where Shane would always be waiting for him. It was empty. Shane could be there, but he’d never know. 

“Shane…” Ryan sighed, blinking away tears as he took a seat on the bench. “You were supposed to wait for me… we were supposed to…” 

Becky knelt down beside him, taking his hand in hers comfortingly. Her eyes were watery, and her smile was tight. 

“It may be a little selfish of me to think, but with you gone, Shane, I feel like I’ve lost Keith again,” Becky said softly to the open air. “I gained a new breath of life when I found you and could hear his answers through you. And now… I’ve lost even that... I don’t want you to think that I’m not grateful for our time together or that I was just using you for Keith. I did think of you as a friend, and cherished our time. But I think that you understand. It still feels like I’ve lost him again, in addition to a friend. And it hurts.”

Tears ran down Becky’s face as she hung her head, freeing one of her hands from Ryan’s to wipe her eyes. Ryan didn’t know how to comfort her. He was barely even holding himself together. 

“I’m sorry....” Ryan choked out, squeezing her hand. 

Becky shook her head lightly, squeezing back. 

A small knock on the half-open door drew their attention. They looked up to see the owner of the house. 

“S-sorry, we just-” Ryan started, jumping up quickly. 

Quinta shook her head, “No, it’s okay. I just wanted to give you something.” 

Ryan furrowed his brows, “Me?” 

Quinta nodded softly as she walked over, pulling a folded paper out of her purse. She handed it to him, not able to look him in the eyes. 

“They found it on Shane… pen still in his hand and everything…” Quinta said softly, her voice shaking. 

Ryan couldn’t even place the emotions he felt as he looked at the paper. His hands shaking slightly, he opened it up and read. 

“Why…?” 

Ryan wasn’t even sure what he was questioning. Why did Shane die? Why didn’t he save himself? Why did it happen to him? Why had Ryan not been there? 

Becky squeezed his hand again, sighing beside him. He felt the tears running down his face, but he couldn’t do anything but reread those words. Shane’s last words. 

“I’m so sorry, Ryan. If I’d known… I wouldn’t have asked him to go up there.” Quinta said, trying to hold herself together. “It’s my fault.” 

Ryan shook his head, shutting his eyes tight. He couldn’t handle this right now. 

“Can… can I come back tonight? I… I want to see if I can talk to him.” Ryan asked, opening his eyes. 

Quinta nodded slowly, her gaze going up the staircase behind him. She seemed lost in thought for a moment before she clenched her jaw, looking back at him. 

“I’m selling the house. Or… anything. I don’t want it anymore. That image of him… That feeling I had as I looked for him… I can’t come back here.” Quinta said, her eyes looking around widely. 

“How much?” Ryan asked quickly. 

“Ryan, if you’ll take it from my hands, you can have it. Keep the tours going or not, I don’t care.”

She pulled out her key to the house and placed it in his hand. She stared at it for a moment, silent. 

“Take it. It won’t make up for… what I’ve done… but it might be a start. I’ll go put your name on the deed, it’s yours,” Quinta said in a rush. 

“Th-thank you…” Ryan said. 

Quinta looked into Ryan’s eyes, and he could see the fear. 

“Goodbye. And… I’m sorry. To Shane too, if he’s listening.” She looked around once more, then hurried out the door. 

Ryan looked at the old key in his hand. 

“What are you gonna do with it?” Becky asked. 

Ryan shrugged. “I don’t know… But I can come back.” 

Becky was silent as she looked up at the banister with a sorrowful stare. Her eyes turned downcast, and another stray tear ran down her face before she turned and walked to the door. Ryan cast one more look into the halls, up the staircase, Shane’s bench. 

“I’m coming back, Shane. I’ll talk to you tonight,” he promised to the air before he shut the door behind him. 

 

“Shane? Are you there?” Ryan called as he shut the door behind him, using his phone’s flashlight to find the lightswitch. 

He flicked it and the entrance lit up dimly, casting an orange light on the hall. Ryan searched momentarily, deathly quiet as he listened for something, anything, to tell him he wasn’t alone. Frowning after a moment, he took off his backpack, kneeling on the ground over it as he took its contents out. 

Salt, candles, matches, some crystals, and a Oujia board all made their way to the floor. Ryan looked up to the air, his eyes searching hungrily. 

“I know you’re thinking that this is stupid… But I don’t have your ability…” he picked up a few of the crystals, looking at them. “I read online that having crystals cleanses the air in seances… I mean this isn’t really a seance, cause I don’t have a medium, and you can’t really do it by yourself… But I guess it’s better to be safe. And I’m gonna make a salt circle in case demons try to come through.” 

Ryan alternated the candles and crystals in a circle around him before lighting the candles with a match. He was silent as he sprinkled salt around that circle and placed the board in the center, finding the planchette in his bag before his tossed the empty bag out of the circle. He reached over and flicked the light off before he sat in front of the board with his legs crossed. He breathed deeply before he shakily put his fingers on the planchette, barely touching it. 

“Shane… are you there?” he called softly, staring at the board intensely. 

There was nothing for a moment. Then, the candles all flickered. Ryan looked up as he felt cold all of a sudden. The planchette slowly moved to “Yes”. 

Ryan’s breath caught in his throat, and he had to blink back the tears forming in his eyes. 

“I…” 

He found that he suddenly didn’t know what to say. He stared up at the empty space in front of him, searching for Shane. As he looked, the planchette began moving again, and Ryan focused his gaze on it. 

“I… M… S… O… R… R… Y…” he said aloud as the piece moved to the letters. “‘I’m sorry’…” 

Ryan took another deep breath, trying hard not to cry in front of Shane. 

“I… I don’t blame you. Or Quinta. I can wish that… this hadn’t happened but… it was no one’s fault. I… don’t know what I’m saying honestly… It’s… I know there’s no one to blame but… why? Why did you have to go up there? Why did she have to ask you then? Why didn’t you just come with me…?” 

There was no answer. Ryan wasn’t surprised. After all, what was there to really say? 

“We could’ve… I was…” Ryan hesitated. It was hard to say, and it was hurting his heart to think about. “I was going to propose to you…” he said finally, his voice barely a whisper. “I had the ring, it was your Christmas present. I was going to surprise you when I got back… You were supposed to be here, waiting for me.” 

Ryan couldn’t hold the tears as they splashed onto the board, but he didn’t dare to move his hands off the board to wipe his eyes. After a moment, the planchette moved again.

“Yes”. It kept moving.  

Ryan said the letters as they came, “R-Y-A-N-I-L-O-V-E-Y-O-U… ‘Ryan, I love you’... I love you too, Shane. I just wish… you could still be here…” 

“I-A-M. ‘I am’? You know what I mean…” 

Ryan closed his eyes for a moment, trying to control his tears, before looking up at the ceiling. 

“Shane, I… I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how Becky has survived all these years when all I want to do right now is… join you. Like Steven… with Andrew… ha… how ironic…” Ryan laughed humorlessly. 

Immediately, the planchette flew to “No” repeatedly, furiously. Then it went on to spell out “LIVE LIFE”. 

“I’m not allowed to pull a Steven? Sorry, that was probably insensitive, sorry, Steven…” Ryan said. 

The planchette answered “Yes”. 

Ryan thought for a few moments, watching the candles flicker. 

“Then I’ll move into the house. There’s that guest room that’s closed off for tours, I can sleep there, and keep the tours going… Since Quinta gave up the house and let me have the key. I guess that’s what you’d want, right?” 

The board answered “Yes”. 

“I could use this to talk to you,” Ryan suggested. 

“No”. 

“Why not?” Ryan asked. 

“D-A-N-G-E-R. U-N-K-N-O-W-N.” 

“Wait, so you know that it could draw something bad?” Ryan asked, looking up. 

“Yes”. 

“Fine… I’ll.. just do it once a month or something…” Ryan said softly. “Shane, I… I miss you.” 

“I-M-H-E-R-E.”

Ryan looked up, and for a split second, maybe nothing more than a trick of the light, he saw the outline of a figure sitting across from him. He looked, wide-eyed, to the planchette to see two faint hands on the other side. When he looked back up, there was nothing. He felt his heart racing. 

“I… I saw you… for just a second.” 

There was no answer. Something in the air felt different. Shane wasn’t there anymore. 

“I guess it takes energy to show yourself like that…” Ryan said, still hoping. 

Silence through the house. Ryan sighed, bringing the planchette to “Goodbye”. After closing the board, he stood and turned the light on, blowing out the candles and brushing the salt circle away. He set the candles to the side while they smoked out, packing the board and the crystals back into his bag. He placed the bag against the wall as well, taking his phone out and turning on the flashlight before turning the light back out. 

He opened the front door, a cool breeze hitting his face. He looked back into the darkness, shining the flashlight in once more. 

“I’ll be back soon. I know you’ll be waiting for me, Shane…” 

He smiled softly, wistfully, before he turned away and shut the door behind him. 

Shane was still with him… even if he’d have to search for him in whispers and shadows. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys, sorry it's been a while!! i was on vacation, and i'm in the middle of having to pack up and move, so i havent had much time or energy for writing. but i finally got it out! just one more chapter, and this is done... i want to go ahead and thank you guys for being here through this, for leaving comments and sending messages on tumblr, it seriously means the world to me and is a big part of why i was able to keep this going and why i'll be able to finish it. 
> 
> also!! i randomly got a message on tumblr one day asking if they could write a oneshot based off of this!! and then we ended up talking and she wrote TWO ONESHOTS BASED ON THIS FIC SO PLEASE GO READ THEM THEY ARE GREAT AND THE SECOND WAS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT (i supplied some ideas and she supplied the amazing writing) 
> 
> https://banjofeed.tumblr.com/post/175758813109/and-adam-was-alone-the-hauntings-of-the-honeybee
> 
> https://banjofeed.tumblr.com/post/175779562079/you-should-see-our-people-now-the-haunting-of-the
> 
> EDIT: the oneshots are now on ao3!!   
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/15328674/chapters/35565309


	20. Welcome Home

The gentle sunlight peering through the window slowing roused Ryan from his slumber. He groaned as he sat up, wiping his face. He’d been having the nicest dream. He’d been sitting in a field of stars with Shane, peaceful and happy. He always thought that Shane gave him those nice dreams.

He felt his joints crack and pop as he swung his legs off the side of the bed and stood. At nearly 70, his body just wasn’t working as well as it used to. It took him a few minutes to get dressed, a short pain in his chest stopping him before he continued. He never bothered to see a doctor.

He heard the door open, and he walked out to greet the visitor. He smiled as his friend Krissy held up a bag.

“Hey Ryan! I got bagels today!” she said happily.

He nodded in appreciation as his stomach growled. They sat on the bench beside the staircase- _Shane’s bench_ , Ryan thought- and started eating.

“I visited Aunt Becky and brought her one, she said it’d been a while since she had one of these,” Krissy said as she munched on her bagel.

“How’s she doing?” Ryan asked.

Krissy laughed. “Good, she says she needs a new puzzle or something or she’s gonna go crazy sitting in that room. I’ll probably head to the store after the tours are done and find her one.”

Becky, at 86, was in a nursing home. Ryan would often visit and relay any sightings he had of any of the spirits. Krissy, her grandniece, would check on her every morning on her way to the Honeybee House, bringing both of them breakfast. Becky had recommended being a tour guide to Krissy, since she had a love of history. Ryan thinks that Shane would have loved hanging out with Krissy.

As they finished, another tour guide came in. Ryan and Krissy threw their trash away and got ready for their day.

 

Ryan waved Krissy goodbye as she got into her car. He looked around, reminiscing on how it used to be. The house used to stand in front of a small forest, with only a handful of houses around it, and a gravel path road. Now, small stores surrounded the area, the gravel road gone to asphalt and concrete. The trees had been cleared to build a Walmart. Maybe it was his old age, but he found himself thinking about looking at the stars from the porch in the natural air.

He went back inside, glancing down at the open letter on the desk in the front hallway. He’d received it a few days ago, but it hadn’t been the first. A couple companies wanted to build where the house stood.

“Over my dead body,” he’d said to that.

He went back into his room, getting a microwave meal out of the fridge. Although the room was small, he didn’t want to mess with the rest of the house, so he kept everything to this room and the bathroom. He idly flipped through a magazine as he waited for it to heat up.

After a minute, he tossed it aside, bored. He wished he still had his Ouija board so he could talk to Shane. But he knew that it was too risky after what happened last time he used it.

It had been two years after Shane’s death. He had been reckless, he’d forgone the crystals and salt circle, the rituals that kept him safe. He’d summoned something darker than a spirit, something that wanted to hurt him. He had to call an exorcist to cleanse the house because of his carelessness, and he still had the scars on his shoulder from where it had scratched him.

He missed Shane. After all this time, he’d never found someone who made him feel the same way Shane had. Maybe he’d also never looked. It didn’t matter.

As he stood to get his food out of the microwave, that pain in his chest hit him again. This time, it felt heavier, and it didn’t go away. He gasped, clutching his chest as it felt like the air was crushed from his lungs. He tried to collect his breath, blinking rapidly as he found himself on the floor. He stared at the wall, the pain beginning to give way to numbness.

Time seemed to stop. Ryan’s mind slipped into a foggy memory. He saw his family, his mother smiling at him, his father playing the guitar and teaching him the chords. He saw his brother giggling as they both hid candy from their parents.

He saw TJ, laughing at a dumb joke as they were up late studying for finals. He saw Safiya, her tongue poking out as she focused on a makeup project, using his face as a canvas. He saw his graduation, the smiles on his family’s faces.

He saw Shane. He saw their first kiss, the shy smiles and butterflies in his stomach as Shane smiled at him. He saw Shane’s peaceful face as they shared their bed, in a place to call their own for the first time. He saw Shane waving goodbye from the airport, neither one aware it would be the last time they saw each other in this lifetime.

He saw Becky, her face growing more and more tired as the years went on, although she would never let Krissy see. He saw the heartbreak and strength they had shared over 44 years.

 

Ryan opened his eyes. Two long legs were in front of him. He looked up to see… Shane. He gasped, his eyes watering as he took in Shane’s tearful gaze. Shane held out his hand. Ryan took it, leaping up and into Shane’s arms. Shane’s hands shook as he hugged him back.

Ryan stepped back after a moment, noticing he was in different clothes than he’d been wearing. He recognized the shirt, although it had been many years since he’d seen it. He stared at his hands, taking them off of Shane as he realized that the skin was youthful and unwrinkled. He looked down at himself, realizing that he had the body he did when he was 22. Then he looked behind him. The body he’d grow familiar with was laying on the floor, eyes closed, almost like he was sleeping. It was weird to see himself outside of his own body.

It then hit him. He was dead.

He looked back up at Shane and decided he didn’t care. He took Shane’s hand and they left the room.

In the hallway, a group of people that Ryan had only heard stories about were waiting.

“Welcome home, Ryan,” Shane said, smiling at him.

Ryan waved shyly at the rest of the spirits. He saw Steven and Andrew and flushed, almost a little starstruck. They smiled at him and came forward to shake his hand.

“Thank you for telling our story,” Steven said softly.

Andrew nodded in agreement as he shook his hand. Ryan muttered a “no problem” awkwardly, his cheeks burning.

Another figure stepped forward, more familiar to Ryan. He recognised him from the photos Becky would often look at. Keith.

Keith wrapped his arms around him, trapping him in a tight hug. “Thank you for taking care of her all these years.”

Ryan laughed. “She took care of me.”

When Keith pulled away, his eyes were shining with tears as he smiled. “That’s just how she is.”

Shane introduced Ryan to the rest of them as Keith stepped away, and they ended up talking for the rest of the night about their lives and deaths. Eugene told Ryan about how his great-niece, Marianne, visited annually with her girlfriend, and Ryan recognised the name. He said he’d actually gone to their wedding, as they had invited him in thanks for keeping the house’s memories intact. He told them it was a beautiful ceremony and the girls were very nice.

He told Keith about Becky and how she had been doing, and felt guilt that even now, he’d been reunited with Shane when she still wasn’t with Keith. He told him about Krissy and how she would invite him to dinner every so often just to get him out of the house.

He realized that Krissy would find his body.

And as the sun began shining through the windows, he felt the dread grow. He stopped talking, peering anxiously through the window. She pulled into the driveway at 8, with a bag of food like usual. Ryan watched as she opened the door, calling out in her usual singsong way.

“Ryan, I brought breakfast!”

Her face fell as he didn’t appear to greet her like he usually did. He followed behind her, sighing as she went to his room and knocked on the door.

“Ryan, are you still sleeping?” she asked as she rapped her knuckles across the wood.

Getting no answer, she slowly opened the door. Her eyes grew wide as she saw Ryan laying on the ground, and she ran over and collapsed, turning him over.

“Ryan?! Ryan!” she shouted, shaking him a little.

She grabbed her phone and called 911, frantic. As she hung up, Ryan put his hand on her shoulder. She froze. She turned to him, wide-eyed, expecting to see someone. She looked back to Ryan’s body, and a look of understanding passed over her face. She bit her lip, wiping away the tears forming at her eyes.

“I hope you are with him again…” she said softly, standing and leaving the room, unable to be next to the body anymore.

Ryan watched as they took his body away, Shane’s hand squeezing his. The rest of the spirits watched on, all remembering how it felt to watch their bodies be taken away.

The house was quiet. All of the scheduled tours had been cancelled.

 

No one came into the house for three days. Until Krissy came back, helping Becky through the door. As Keith saw her, he started crying as he ran to her. Krissy helped Becky sit on the bench, and Keith kneeled in front of Becky, taking her hand in his as best he could.

“Thank you Krissy…” she said softly.

Both of them were dressed in black. Ryan stood beside them, biting his lip.

“It was a lovely funeral, Ryan. I saw your brother, he was understandably upset. TJ and Safiya were there with their families as well. It was a nice service…” Becky told Ryan, looking directly at him.

Ryan blinked as she smiled at him before looking back at Keith, whose eyes grew wide.

“It’s time. I asked Krissy to bring me here… So I could be with you again, Keith. It’s been far too long.” Becky looked at Krissy, who was crying. She rested her hand on Krissy’s cheek for a moment. “Don’t cry, honey. I’m gonna be happier here.”

After a moment, she leaned back against the wall. Her labored breathing gave way to a soft sigh, before she stilled. Krissy put her head in her hands as she cried softly.

Keith stood, his hand still holding Becky’s. And she followed, leaping into his arms as he spun her around in a kiss. When he let her down, Ryan realized that she was even younger than she’d been when he met her. He assumed she was around 25, since that’s how old Keith had been. She exuded a bright, youthful glow. Her hair was mousy brown, no sign of the grey that had been present even when Ryan knew her. Her eyes were bright, shining with tears as she gazed lovingly into Keith’s eyes.

Shane came up behind Ryan, slinging his arm around him.

“Well, looks like we’re all together again,” he said, a small smile on his face.

“Yeah, but what’s gonna happen to the house now that I’m gone?” Ryan asked softly. “If they tear it down and build that hotel over it, where do we go?”

Shane didn’t answer for a moment. “Maybe we’d just haunt the hotel. Or maybe we’d move on to some sort of afterlife. Who knows?” He looked at Ryan, “But we’ll do it together, no matter what.”

They watched the ambulance take Becky’s body out of the house. Krissy stayed for a moment after they drove away.

“I’ll see you guys later. Hopefully we’ll figure out what to do about the tours soon.”

Shane nudged Ryan as Krissy walked out the door, shutting it behind her.  
“Or maybe we won’t be going anywhere.”

As they watched Keith introduce Becky to his friends, Ryan sighed. Shane spoke up a moment later.

“You know… maybe the afterlife isn’t so scary. I’d always been afraid of being stuck in one place forever but…” Shane looked at Steven, smiling as he repeated his words. “We’re together, and in the end, I suppose that’s all we really wanted.”

Ryan looked up at Shane, meeting his gaze as their hands intertwined.

Forever was a long time. But they’d go into this next adventure together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so... I'm going to admit that I'm a little emotional right now. I can't believe its done. And its entirely because of you guys, who commented on every chapter, who gave me support, who left long rants and made me feel like an evil genius, who constantly said "thank you for writing this" or "i can't wait until the next update" because without you guys, I may have given up long ago. I cannot even begin to express how happy I was to read each and every one, how motivating it was when I saw how much this story meant to some people. This is dedicated to you, who kept pushing me even when I felt that I couldn't do it. 
> 
> I wanted to leave the story a little open ended, so you, as the reader, could choose what happened next. If Krissy takes over and the Honeybee House stayed as it was, or if it was torn down and built over, leaving them to either haunt a hotel or move into some sort of afterlife. 
> 
> The bit about Eugene's grand-niece was a reference to a oneshot written about this story that me and the author talked about, which I recommend reading!  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/15328674/chapters/35565309
> 
> And one last thing... I'm not really done with the Honeybee House. I love this story and these concepts so much that I think I can turn it into its own book. So, maybe a little ambitious, but I want to rewrite this (same stories, different characters) into its own novel, where I would also go more into each story. So if that ever becomes a thing, I'll post it here to let y'all know! 
> 
> Thank you once again for joining me on this rollercoaster of a story, and I hope you enjoyed the Honeybee House. 
> 
> You can find me at richtherose.tumblr.com (main) or banjofeed.tumblr.com (buzzfeed sideblog, little less active)


	21. Bonus: Foreshadowing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've reached this chapter, you've gone and read this whole dang thing, and you know what happens at the end. So here's a little bonus thing because I'm sentimental and evil, the biggest foreshadowing moments I put to the ending >:)

" I can see it now, a romantic tragedy in a haunted house, of two young men who fall in love in the house, but are separated through death. Oh man, if your character can see ghosts like you can, it would be even more tragic if he was the one that died. Like, if Ryan’s character died, then at least you could still see him and talk to him and stuff, but if you died, he wouldn’t be able to see you. Ah, a tragedy…” -Sara, Chapter 3 (The Meeting)

 

“Fuck, it’s freezing in here…” Shane complained as he tugged on his jacket, sitting on his usual seat on the bench. It was evening, and since the sun was setting, it was getting chillier.

Shane shot her a dirty look. “Why didn’t anyone ever fix the damn AC in this house? Radiators are such a hassle, and they’re only in certain rooms!”

“Yeah, cause it’s getting cold and I happen to have a living human body that gets cold. Sucks, I know.” Shane said in a deadpan voice, making Sara laugh. -Chapter 9 (Just Another Day (ft. a Death Scene))

 

Becky smiled sadly. “He’s told me to many times, and I’ve tried. But in the end, just… nothing compares. I’m chasing lost feelings, but I can’t do anything about it.” She was quiet for a moment, leaning on the railing and looking out into the sky over the trees. “He was the love of my life. I can’t forget the dreams that we had together, the plans we had made. We’d been planning a wedding. Instead, I had to attend a funeral. The what-ifs are all I can think about sometimes.” She looked into Ryan’s eyes. “Don’t take anything for granted. Because it can all be taken away, in a single second.” -Chapter 13 (Memories)

 

Shane shrugged, “I guess I haven’t really thought about it, but I’ve never had a want to leave… I think somewhere in my mind, I just assume I’m gonna end up one of the ghosts one day.” -Chapter 15 (Movie Night)

 

“That means you can’t die on me, okay? No freak accidents or falling off of bannisters in haunted houses…”-Ryan, Chapter 15 (Movie Night)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's only been a few hours since I posted the last chapter and I've already gotten some lovely comments that made me cry so this is my final retaliation


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